Seiju High
by thatcoolkids96
Summary: AU School Fic: Seiju High is among the top ranking schools in the world. Aside from being the best, the school has the best technology. No books here, everything is done on laptop computers. The Inu Tachi struggle to get along in a status driven society.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with InuYasha. This is not for profit.

A/N: This is a story made up of RPG posts between a friend and me. I may have started posting this before under my other name (before I forgot the password and username [fail]) but I can't remember so I'm posting it here, now.

**Seiju High**

**Prologue**

The sun hung high in the afternoon sky, its warmth inviting many out to enjoy the last day of summer vacation. A soft breeze kept the heat from overpowering the students who intended to savor every last moment of their freedom. A set of thick black curtains rustled in this breeze and yet they never shifted enough to let even a hint of light peek past them. The sun's rays were strictly prohibited from the dark sanction of this room.

A lone figure sat, hunched over his laptop, typing furiously. A snide smirk played across his face and his fingers flew across the keys. Naraku, despite the darkness of the room and his annoyed aura, was very excited. Tomorrow would begin his senior year of high school. There was so much to do. He absolutely adored the first day of school each and every year. There were always so many unsuspecting fools walking right into his traps. He'd hacked into the high school's main computer system while he'd still been in middle school and he made a point of keeping up his own tradition of tormenting his peers to no end and of course this year would be no different. In fact, this year had to be over the top as it was his last.

He had a particularly nasty trick up his sleeve for the incoming freshmen this year. Along with many other traps, he'd taken time to mess around with the elevators a bit. At his time of choosing, some unfortunate persons could end up trapped in there for hours or continuously zooming up and down until they hurled. A low snicker escaping him was the only indication of Naraku's amusement at his own little plan. It was no less than they deserved though. He'd already hacked into this year's enrollment list and was quite disgusted by what he saw.

Ever since that damned Kaede became headmistress, it would seem more and more of the Seiju High students had no business in his school. She was allowing lower class kids to test into his prestigious private school that had once been for the elite alone. Now, he sneered at the list that was dotted with an increasing number of poor filth that would be littering the hallways. It was an outrage, absolutely disgusting really. Kaede was throwing the school to the dogs.

'_Well they may be invading my school but I'll be sure that they hate every second of it.'_ Naraku thought. He stopped typing briefly to stretch before reaching for some cables. He'd set up an intricate system of monitors a few years back and after hacking into the security system he'd been able to access the security camera views. Linking his laptop to the central cable that all the monitors were connected to, he pulled up the security files and began assigning different cameras to their respective monitors. It was important to be prepared for tomorrow. He made sure he could see all the major hallways, popular classrooms, the courtyard, parking lot, and the elevators.

"Perfect." He whispered as he sat back to admire his handiwork. "Tomorrow's going to be an excellent day."

---

The sound of gravel crunching met Miroku's ears as he planted his feet on the ground to balance himself so that he wouldn't tip his bike over. He leaned back and scanned the horizon with his eyes. From atop the hill, on which he sat, Miroku could see almost the entire layout of his new school. It was definitely impressive; tennis courts, basketball courts, an enormous football field, soccer fields, sparkling pools, and what he could only assume was the world famous battle dome. The school, itself, looked amazingly high tech, ever from this distance.

Miroku rolled his eyes laughing at his last thought. Of course the school looked high tech. Seiju High didn't have the most elite Japanese families jumping through hoops to get their kids in for just anything. Seiju was one of the top ranking private schools in the world. Only the richest of rich could even dream of sending their children to school here until recently. The new headmistress had instated a series of complicated tests that could be taken to allow students in on scholarship money. Not only were you promised the best education here but you also gained access to the latest technology, virtually everything was operated by your ID card.

This knowledge was generally wasted on Miroku as technology wasn't really Miroku's main interest. His gazed shifted to what he was assuming was the Seiju High Battle Dome. He had heard that was where you make or break your reputation at the school. Students could challenge each other for "practice" at any point in the school year. Miroku wasn't an idiot and found it quite obvious that these "practices" were probably just a way to pummel the kids who pissed you off without getting into any trouble. Of course, you had the option of not accepting the challenge but he had heard that was the equivalent of social suicide. At least as a bloody pulp on the floor a nursing student might take pity on you and befriend you as you heal.

Pissing people off wasn't exactly how he wanted to make a name for himself so he was banking on joining the team. A few weeks after school started there would be tryouts for the legendary battle team. There would be inner school team battles until the season started and then the top five teams would be selected and undergo brutal training for the district tournaments.

From what he had heard, if you made it onto the team you were rewarded with instant popularity and if you made it on to one of the top five teams then you were practically a god. Miroku was definitely aiming for one of those top spots. Ladies couldn't resist strong, daring, brave battling men, right? He'd done his research and learned that the two years ago, for the first time, a pair of first years made it to third in the district tournament and a pair or second years took first. He planned to become friends with those kids and avoid getting on their bad sides at all costs; clearly they were not the sort to be messed with.

At his old school, Miroku had been an all around sports star. After learning which school he'd be moving to Miroku had spent the summer training so that he'd hopefully be in the same league as the Seiju High kids. He'd brushed up on his battle techniques and learned everything he possibly could to prepare himself for entering the world of the rich and famous.

He sighed remembering his old school. He'd been reluctant to leave. He'd only been allowed to stay long enough to complete the school year after his father's death and then he was shipped off to live with a family friend. Seiju High was the closest school in the area unless he wanted to attend a public school where they didn't offer a class for him to continue his religious studies. Thus, with his inheritance and his "uncle's" support, he'd scraped up just enough for him to get into Seiju High for a year. He'd only just managed to avoid having to take all the ridiculous tests they required of students who couldn't afford the outrageously overpriced tuition. He could probably feed an entire third world country with how much the school was charging. Gritting his teeth, he told himself it'd be worth it. Everyone knew Seiju High had the hottest girls in the world in attendance.

Lifting his feet from the ground, Miroku finished his ride around the school before heading home to throw in some more practice time before the school year officially began. He'd be surrounded by the ladies in no time, he was sure or it.

---

An irritated Kagome tapped her foot, rather impatiently. Her older sister had been tying up the phone all day long. This wouldn't normally be a problem, except Kagome had let Shippou borrow her cell phone while he was over at a friend's house so that he could call her when he needed to be picked up. Unfortunately, this left her without a phone for herself. Her gaze traveled to her sister's door as she debated whether or not she should just go into Kikyou's room and take her cell phone. Kagome gave a frustrated huff as she glared daggers at her sister who proceeded to flip through a magazine and make plans with Kagura and Kaguya regarding what they were going to wear to school tomorrow. It wouldn't' be so frustrating if they didn't have uniforms to wear. What the heck could they plan to do differently beyond buying theirs two sizes too small and having their initials engraved in their uniform jackets?"

"Girls, it looks like I have to go. My _little_ sister has to make an _important_ phone call. What important business such a _little girl_ has to discuss is beyond me but I have to paint my nails anyway. I'll see you tomorrow." Kikyou cooed.

Kagome forced down a growl. _Little sister_. They were barely a year apart and yet Kikyou acted like she was never Kagome's age. Kagome reached for the phone as she heard the beep of the call being terminated but Kikyou held the phone back.

"What do you say?" Kikyou grinned.

"Give me the phone." Kagome snapped.

"Wrong answer." Kikyou laughed as she flounced out of the room, phone in tow.

"KIKYOU!" Kagome shouted following her. "GIVE ME THE PHONE!"

"Ask for it nicely and I'll think about it." Kikyou challenged holding the phone behind her back and smirking at her sister.

"Ugh, you are so annoying." Kagome groused.

"You're not getting it any sooner." Kikyou scolded.  
"Kikyou will you please just give me the phone." Kagome snapped.

Kikyou tapped a perfectly manicured finger against her chin as though considering this. If Kagome hadn't needed the phone she would have strangled her sister as she so desperately wanted to.

"Fine." Kikyou finally said dropping the phone into Kagome's waiting hand. "You know, you could have just gotten one from the other room though."

Kagome stomped into her room and grabbed a pillow to scream her frustration into leaving a laughing Kikyou behind her. She'd been so angry with Kikyou she hadn't even though of just getting a phone out of another room. _'What did I do to deserve her for a sister?'_

Kagome rolled her eyes and began typing in the digits for her best friend's house. Tomorrow was the first day of school and it was imperative that she talked to someone before then. Just a few short weeks ago she'd been pacing her room worriedly as she awaited her sister's return home. She'd stupidly been worried she'd be in a hell of a lot of trouble with Kikyou. Technically she hadn't done anything wrong but if your sister was as illogical and unreasonable as Kikyou then it was easy to find yourself on her shit list. To make matters worse, the reason she'd been worried was none other than Kikyou's stupid on again off again relationship with InuYasha.

Her sister was ridiculously possessive of the hanyou even though she treated him more like a pet than a boyfriend. The two barely had a functional relationship but whenever someone showed an interest in InuYasha, Kikyou would get all jealous and possessive and begin scheming to destroy the girl. Lucky for Kagome, Kikyou had been a couple of weeks away during the summer and it would be a lie to say Kagome hadn't taken advantage of the fact that her sister was away. Unfortunately, there was no such thing as a secret at Seiju High and it was only a matter of time before someone found out and busted her for attempting to steal InuYasha away from her sister over the summer.

It just wasn't fair. Kagome had been in love with InuYasha for years. She deserved a chance when a chance presented itself and it most certainly had. InuYasha often showed an interest in her and had even taken her on dates when he was fighting with Kikyou. It was just that her sister had some sort of power over him and he was dragged right back into their ridiculous relationship whenever Kikyou called him back. And for a few weeks this summer, Kagome had been his number one girl. All the years of being the backup girlfriend had finally paid off but of course, the minute Kikyou got home InuYasha had pretty much dumped her. In fact, his exact words had been _"It's been fun, best summer fling ever, see you at school."_ She'd never been so hurt or humiliated in her life. Not that it was a hugely public humiliation; he'd kept their "fling" on the down low. He'd told her it was so that none of Kikyou's friends would interfere but now she figured it was probably just so that her sister wouldn't find out.

'_Grrr, what is it about that stupid jerk that makes me go all gooey and stupid whenever he's around?' _Kagome thought, kicking the wall angrily and then wincing as the pain shot through her foot. It wasn't fair. She'd been a better girlfriend than Kikyou had ever been and still Kikyou won. InuYasha had been just as much involved with her as she was with him but at the end of the day Kikyou would probably only truly be mad at her.

Kagome clicked end before the call to Sango could complete itself. What would Sango say when she told her everything that had happened? She'd probably be disappointed with Kagome and then angry with InuYasha. Then Sango and InuYasha would end up in an unnecessary fight. Kagome dropped the phone on her bed, that wouldn't be fair she knew she only had herself to blame for yet another broken heart. InuYasha was just being InuYasha, he didn't know the meaning of the word commitment and it was entirely Kikyou's fault for screwing him up so bad as far as relationships go.

Kagome sank down on her bed with a dejected sigh. This school year was going to suck big time if her sister found out and declared war on her. It was going to be worse if she couldn't suck it up and tell her best friend what an idiot she had been. And it would be super awful if she couldn't get over her stupid crush on InuYasha. She'd seen him plenty of times since their fling and he hadn't said a word about it which made her sad and it made her sick to her stomach watching him with her sister all day. _'I hate high school.'_ Kagome sighed.

---

InuYasha reclined by the outdoor pool feeling totally relaxed. He'd spent the morning working out and was now lounging by the pool in a lazy manner eating a late lunch. Chewing slowly, he rolled his eyes as he heard Rin's voice yet again. She'd been antsy all day, rushing around the house trying to be sure she had everything for school. InuYasha briefly wondered when Sesshomaru would be back to shut her up. To be honest, it wasn't really Rin that was bothering him but Jaken's irritating voice as he trailed behind her trying to reassure her that she had everything she needed uploaded onto the brand new laptop Sesshomaru had bought for her. Jaken had been unsuccessfully suggesting that Rin should call a friend to hang out with for the rest of the day so that she'd have something to do other than worry about the first day of high school.

Once again, if InuYasha were completely honest, he'd really rather that not happen. The last thing he needed today was a bunch of giggly girls running around his house or for her and Kohaku to be making goo-goo eyes at each other all afternoon. Those two were really quite pathetic.

Then again, if Kohaku came over, Sango might be able to come too. She was always interesting to talk to and incredibly pleasant company while working out. There weren't many girls who could keep up with him but somehow she did it. In the battle dome, she was a total beast. They'd made history as the youngest battle team to ever make it to district competition and they'd blown everyone's minds when they came in third place. For a moment he'd even seen a flash of approval in Sesshomaru's eyes as he stood with Kikyou to be awarded first place.

InuYasha raised himself up from his reclined position to flag down Myouga to bring him the phone so that he could call Sango. He'd been planning to call her anyway to see if she wanted a ride to school in the morning. He opened to his mouth to shout for his ever missing servant when it occurred to him that maybe that wasn't the best plan in the world. Kikyou would throw a fit if he drove Sango to school. She always got jealous about how much time he spent with his best friend. It was inevitable though, Sango was his battle partner and they had to spend a lot of time together to be as in tune with one another on the battle field as they were. In fact, Sango and InuYasha were known to be able to finish each other's sentences and anticipate the other's needs without saying a word.

In a moment of rebellion against the leash Kikyou kept him on, InuYasha wanted to call Sango despite how pissed off Kikyou would get. The only thing stopping him was the knowledge that Sango would deal him a hard blow to the back of the head for drawing her any more into his frequent spats with Kikyou than she already was. He knew that Sango wasn't particularly fond of his behavior where his girlfriends were concerned, especially when one of her best friends' heart was involved.

InuYasha failed to see the error of his ways since he and Kikyou weren't technically together seventy-five percent of the time. Thus, if he happened to date her sister, Kagome, fifty percent of those off periods, he wasn't technically cheating on either of them, right?

He sighed leaning back, it really wasn't his fault that he couldn't make a choice. They both had a different appeal about them that was very unique. If she wasn't human, InuYasha would swear that his bombshell of a girlfriend was a celestial maiden. Kikyou could melt some unsuspecting sap with the merest look but she was spoiled and well versed in cruelty when she was angry. As it was getting closer to time for her to graduate and leave him to finish his last year of high school she was becoming increasingly difficult. They were always fighting and she constantly accused, not always falsely, of cheating on her. They broke up for the stupidest reasons and got back together a couple of hours, days, or weeks later.

'_Kikyou.'_ He turned the name over in his mind as he thought back to her return from the island vacation that she'd taken with her friends in the middle of the summer.

_~flashback~_

_InuYasha leaned back against the wall of the airport as he attempted to wait patiently for Kikyou to come traipsing down the stairs as only Kikyou could do. She was apparently taking her time as usual. He huffed an annoyed sigh. Why the hell did he keep getting back together with her? If she wasn't so hot there would probably be no logical excuse for them to be together. He was one of the hottest guys in their school and there were more than enough girls trying to get with him._

_In fact, while she'd been away he certainly hadn't been entirely faithful. Most guys would probably feel at least a twinge of guilt over the affairs but he was almost certain Kikyou hadn't been any more faithful to him. She was beautiful and knew it. She also liked to make him jealous. To make matters worse she'd been on vacation not just with her female friends but with other seniors including his brother and Bankotsu and it was no secret that Kikyou had a thing for his brother. Flirting with Sesshomaru was her favorite way to make him jealous. Just thinking about them now made him see red._

_His eyes narrowed as the people milling about the airport began to make way for someone. His nose told him instantly that she had finally arrived. Sighing, he pushed himself off the wall and stood with his arms folded waiting for her to appear._

_A smirk quirked her lips up into a sexy smile as she finally came into view. Her long black hair hung down her back swishing from side to side in time with her swaying hips that were hugged by the short red dress she was wearing._

"_Hello lover." She purred._

"_Took you long enough." InuYasha snapped._

"_So impatient InuYasha." She sniffed, rolling her eyes. With a wave of her hand a fit young man appeared at her side weighed down but numerous expensive pieces of luggage. "I meet the nicest people on airplanes."_

"_And joined the mile high club shortly after meeting them didn't you?" InuYasha snorted._

"_Jealous?" Kikyou asked with a grin._

"_Like I care." InuYasha snorted. "Just tell your lap dog to put your shit in the trunk so we can go."_

_With that, InuYasha turned and strode towards his sports car ignoring both Kikyou and the fool carrying her luggage. He didn't bother to open her door for her; he just slid into the driver's seat and drummed his fingers impatiently on the steering wheel._

_She stood outside the car glaring at him._

"_Sometime today princess." He called sarcastically._

_With a sigh of irritation, Kikyou yanked open her own door and slid onto her seat._

"_Put the top up, I don't want my hair ruined." She snapped._

"_Who cares about your hair?" He argued._

"_I do, now put it up."_

"_My car, my rules." He shrugged._

"_You're insufferable as always." She said acidly._

"_I've missed you too." He replied in a sarcastic voice._

"_Just take me home."_

"_Can't wait to be rid of you." He growled, stomping on the gas pedal and shooting out of the airport at a speed that was sure to get him a ticket if the cops could catch up to him._

_~end flashback~_

Their relationship made no sense especially when he considered the alternative to being with Kikyou. Her dear sweet sister, Kagome, was a bubbly cheerful girl with a domestic housewife appeal. She was certainly nowhere near as spiteful as her sister. She certainly wasn't as sexy as Kikyou either but she was still beautiful in her own way. She made up for her more ordinary looks with her pleasant personality. InuYasha couldn't think of anyone who didn't like Kagome, except for maybe Kikyou, but that was probably just sibling rivalry anyway. The two were constantly at each others' throats and he knew he wasn't exactly helping matter but what could he say? He found himself attracted to both girls.

With a grunt of frustration, InuYasha got up and signaled a servant to dispose of his dishes. Reaching up high in a stretch he decided to forget calling anyone. He yawned as he cracked he knuckles and headed back into the house to work out some more. He passed Rin and Jaken who were now arguing over how Rin should wear her hair in the morning. _'Those two really don't have enough to do with their days.'_ InuYasha though, rolling his eyes at the stupidity of their argument.

---

Ayame chewed her bottom lip nervously as she stepped off the plane. Behind her, two men entered the airport carrying her bags. She scanned the crowd several times hoping to catch sight of her betrothed but found herself disappointed when all she saw was an elderly wolf demon standing there with a large sign, her name printed neatly on it. She sighed and shifted the pack on her shoulder before motioning the two men to follow her again.

She was slightly wide eyed as she took in the hustle and bustle of the city again. This was her first time back since she was a child. She'd previously been attending an all girls' school in the mountains but now she was old enough to travel on her own and find her fiancé, Kouga. She'd been sent to live with his family and finish her last two years of high school with him.

A grin spread over her face as she tried to imagine what he looked like now. She could barely contain her excitement; she'd spent her whole life preparing to be with him. It had been decided very early in her life that she was to marry the heir to the wolf demon tribe and thus every summer she'd been sent to beauty and charm school and her weekends were tolled away in gymnastics for grace and battle training for technique. Now she'd finally be able to show off what she'd learned and Kouga would see what a great wife she'd be. She'd already decided she'd prove herself by being the best battle team partner he'd ever had.

She followed the elderly demon to a waiting car, in which her luggage was stowed. She took one last glance at the airport before beginning her journey towards her new life with Kouga. _'Everything is going to be perfect now.'_ She grinned watching the scenery whiz by.

---

"Good." Sango grinned as the resounding clunk of Kohaku's weapon colliding with her own died away. A boyish grin of pride lit up Kohaku's face at his sister's compliment.

"I told you I've been practicing." He laughed as he came at her again with the sharp scythe blade.

Sango blocked the blade with her hirakotsu and thrust up, catching her brother off guard and knocking his blade up. He recovered quickly and leapt backwards narrowly avoiding Sango's leg which she had kicked out to sweep him off his feet.

"You'll do great in your battles this year, I can already tell." Sango commented.

"Thanks sis." Kohaku blushed. "You and InuYasha will dominate at the district competition again this year. You'll get first for sure."

"Maybe, that is if you don't find a really great battle partner and take our spots." Sango winked.

"I'm only a sophomore, I can't go to districts. I've been thinking too, maybe, I might not try out for the battle team. I might join something else. I prefer to watch you fight anyway. I don't really care for it myself." Kohaku said rocking on his heels nervously.

"Then why do you train so hard?" Sango laughed.

"Because I want to always be able to protect you if there's ever a time you can't protect yourself. Dad's not here to scare off the boys so the job falls to me, right?" Kohaku grinned.

Sango paused smiling to herself. She really did have the sweetest little brother and he'd been through so much. She had spent the summer thinking of things to keep him busy all day so he wouldn't have to think about the horrific images imprinted on his brain from the attack on their home village. Sango had previously passed all her tests and gotten her taijya license. After getting her license she had said good-bye to her brother and father and returned home to spend time with some friends for the summer. It wasn't long afterwards that a messenger reached her and told her to hurry to the hospital her brother was the only survivor of an attack on their village. She had slept many uncomfortable nights in the hospital holding his hand until he had finally regained consciousness.

Surprisingly she had quite a few visitors during this time. Kagome had sat with her some days resting her head against Sango's arm in a comforting gesture. InuYasha had come and Sango had been unable to resist curling up in his arms and letting herself cry. It wasn't often she showed emotion and usually he had some sarcastic comment for any emotional outburst by her but then he'd just held her close stroking her hair and telling her that Kohaku would pull through. It was one of the rare moments that the world would never know about that made their friendship so strong. She'd even seen Sesshomaru a few times at the hospital. He'd bring Rin and the younger girl would often sit on the end of the bed talking to Kohaku even though they hadn't been sure if he could hear them. Sesshomaru never spoke to her but he usually stood close enough beside or behind her that his aura could affect her. He was usually tense and irritated but during those times he was giving off calming vibes that helped her to relax and sometimes even sleep. Once or twice Bankotsu had accompanied Sesshomaru and Rin, on those days, Sango hadn't gotten any peace as he was constantly hitting on her or insulting her. He was very confusing apparently his attraction to her didn't completely override his distaste for anyone who wasn't upper class.

Casting those memories aside, Sango leaned her hirakotsu against the wall and caught her brother up in a bear hug.

"Aw sis, come on. I have to be getting to old for this." Kohaku laughed pretending to struggle for a moment before returning her hug.

"I love you Kohaku." She whispered.

"I love you too sis." He murmured tightening his hold on her.

---

Enju slipped her ID card back into her pocket as she passed through the doors to the headmistress's office. She blew a few loose strand of hair out of her face as she walked up the steep set of stairs to the double doors that would provide entrance to the office. She knocked gently and waited a short moment for an invitation to enter.

A smile lit up her face as she entered the room and took in the sigh of the elderly woman before her. Kaede had been both her mentor and guardian for some time now and it always made her smile when she spent time with the woman who had come to mean so much to her.

"Everything on the server looks ready to me." She informed the headmistress who was sitting behind a large oak desk and tapping lightly at her keyboard.

"Well that's good, everything is all clear throughout the main system so I think our mystery hacker may have finally graduated last year or has just decided not to mess with our programs this year." Kaede murmured as she shut down her computer.

"Or whoever it is is just waiting until tomorrow to put any of their plans into action so that we won't be able to interfere." Enju said biting her lip and contemplating this idea.

"I truly hope not my dear. The new students are confused enough when they first get here, it's rather childish of this person to constantly make it worse."

Enju shrugged; there wasn't much they could do until he made his move. She and Kaede checked the systems every year but it never seemed to stop the hacker. They would just have to be ready.

Enju helped Kaede lock up before they left for the administrative living quarters. Students had never lived back there before. It was another change that came with Kaede. Enju and a few other orphans had tested into the school and now lived in the dormitories. Kaede had built in a residence hall for them so that they could attend Seiju High.

Enju knew everyone who lived there but one. They had for the most part all grown up in the same orphanage. It was the one, Onigumo, who remained a mystery. She passed his door several times and even brought him the occasional meal, late some nights he would sit in the common room reading and they would talk about books but that was probably the extent of their interaction. As far as she knew, she was the only person in the dorms that he'd ever talked to and even though they had spoken, she had never actually seen him. He was always wrapped up in thick blankets or buried in oversized clothes and a cap. He was a real quiet boy and very sickly, he attended his classes through the computers because most days he was in on bed rest. She felt bad for him since he seemed to be cooped up here most days. On holidays she usually made sure to leave a memento at his door so that he would know someone cared. He shouldn't miss out just because he had no family and was too sick to go out and make friends for himself.

Waving good-bye to Kaede, she entered her building and went straight to his door as was her routine. She knocked lightly and then called through the wood to see if he wanted her to bring up a late lunch for him. She nodded at the door to the short response of 'I'm fine' and headed to the kitchen to make herself something to eat.

'_I can't wait to see everyone tomorrow.'_ She thought excitedly.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

_**~The New Guy~**_

(Sango)

"See ya later, sis." Kohaku called over his should as he tucked his laptop under his arm and disappeared through the main doors of the high school.

"Wait! Kohaku! Where are you…" Sango just shook her head as she lost sight of her brother. She sighed telling herself not to worry; she'd see him later anyway. She leaned back into her car and picked her laptop up from the back seat before locking up and going inside.

Humming she smiled at being back again. While many people claimed to hate school Sango quite enjoyed it. She loved learning new things and here is where she saw her friends every day. She was just passing the central office when she spotted one of her close friends coming out.

"Enju! Good morning. It's so good to see you." Sango smiled falling into step with her.

"Sango, welcome back, how was your summer? It definitely looks like you've been busy." Enju greeted flashing her friend a bright smile.

"What do you mean?" Sango asked giving the battle team captain a quizzical look.

"You know what I mean." Enju laughed. "So many of our members come back after the summer completely out of shape and then we waste valuable practice time working them back into shape. But then, of course, there's you, ever so dedicated and in shape. You look great."

Enju paused tilter her head to get a better look at Sango as she pondered this. She took a real good look at her friend and then clapped her hands together, eyes lighting up with realization.

"You passed your test, didn't you?" Enju cried.

"Mmhmm." Sango responded beaming.

Sango had been training to become a taijiya for most of her life. She'd been around the training grounds all of her life. There weren't many females who trained for this style of battle but since her father had passed away, the elders had seen fit to test her and then train her to take his place. Although she had earned the title she still wouldn't call herself a taijiya master because there was always something new to learn. She didn't believe in achieving perfection but always striving for it.

Enju laughed at Sango's brief enthusiasm and shook her head. "Modest as always my friend."

The girls continued to talk as they came to their lockers and slid their ID cards in so that they could stow away their back up disks and CD-Rom cases. They had uploaded all their text books onto their laptops and thus had no need to carry around the programs.

As they were turning to head back outside to enjoy the early morning sunlight before school began, someone caught Sango's eye.

"Who's that?" She asked curiously. She wouldn't call herself popular but she did know almost everyone in the school through association or their family's claim to fame. The kids who tested in all knew each other as they were often shunned together and her friendship with InuYasha had granted her access to many friendships with the not so stuck up rich kids. The rest were generally so famous there was no way to not know their names.

"Hmm, must be a new kid." Enju shrugged as she glanced over at the dark-haired boy a ways down the hall.

"He looks rather confident about something, don't you think?" Sango noted watching the way he carried himself as he strut into the school. In many ways his swagger reminded her of InuYasha and she had to chuckle to herself. She didn't think the school could handle any more arrogant males. If Sesshomaru weren't so clearly the alpha male at this school she had no doubt the younger boys would be tearing each other apart trying to claim dominance within the school. It was going to be a nightmare next year with the stoic daiyoukai graduated she was certain InuYasha and Kouga would tear this school apart with their rivalry.

"He probably things he's some sort of pimp or something." Enju commented giving Sango a serious expression. The two girls rolled their eyes then exchanged grins before bursting into laughter. As they were turning to go Sango noticed him walking towards them and shot Enju a look.

"He's coming over!" She hissed in a low whisper.

Enju flipped her hair and flickered a glance over her shoulder. _'So he thinks he's pimp after all.'_ She sighed and shot Sango a smile that told her not to worry.

"Good morning ladies! I seem to be a bit lost. Would either of you care to help me memorize this schedule? I'm new here." He asked, drawing up beside Sango and giving both girls a friendly smile.

Sango had to fight off another wave of laughter. At his first comment, dropped so lighting and flirtatiously, he'd already assured them he thought he was some sort of ladies man. Sango glanced at Enju and they briefly caught each others' gaze and exchanged short nods of agreement.

Innocent as his flirtation was, Sango hated these types of confrontations. They were always amusing but that didn't make her any less edgy or uncomfortable. It happened to a lot of girls with the newer male students. They guys just seemed to go crazy over the girls' uniforms. It wasn't entirely their fault though as the majority of the girls at the school weren't helping deter the boys' fascination. Most girls bought their skirts a few sizes smaller than necessary or had their shirts customized with see through materials and pulled them so tight that nothing was left to the imagination. An image of InuYasha's long time off and on again girlfriend came to mind as the ring leader or these girls. She'd found every possible loop hole in the dress code to exploit. Sango shook her head to clear away the images and return her attention to the young man standing beside her.

Enju was already taking control of the situation and Sango said a silent prayer or thanks for her friend. Enju was opening her mouth to ask for his schedule when a messenger from Kaede appeared at her side.

"Miss Enju!" The boy stammered. "Kaede wants to see you right away about the tournament."

Enju sighed and offered Sango and apologetic smile since Sango would have to talk care of the new guy now. She waved and then left the two alone.

Sango closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose before slowly reopening her eyes. She dropped her hand and took a deep breath before looking up into his eyes.

"Alright, what do you have?"

_**~Miroku's First Lesson~**_

(Miroku)

Miroku glanced at the select few other bikes locked to the rack as he clicked the lock shut on his own bike. He straightened to a standing position to take in the school he had studied so much about all summer long. There were hardly any cars in the parking lot and only a few limos pulled up every now and then to drop off an overly confident and highly glossed student.

He shook his head and shifted the backpack hanging loosely over his shoulder. He paused for a moment to gussy up before striding into the school. He found his locker with ease since he'd memorized the layout of the school over the summer. Leaving everything but his laptop and palm pilot, he shut his locker and sighed. Glancing up and down the hallway it was evident that getting here early wasn't what all the cool kids were doing. He was desperately bored already since no one was around.

His head snapped up as the sound of girlish laughter reached his ears. He straightened immediately and attempted to figure out which direction the sound was coming from, after all, female laughter was his calling. He scanned both directions until his eyes fell on two girls just up the hall. A huge grin spread across his face as he pulled his shoulders back and began to strut over.

'_A perfect way to start the morning.'_ He thought as he drew closer to the exceptionally beautiful girls. Naturally, one drew his attention more than the other but it was a close call. Their uniforms fit rather deliciously and he especially admired how his particular target's uniform hugged in all the right places. Drawing up beside her, he tossed them both an easy grin.

"Good morning ladies! I seem to be a bit lost. Would either of you care to help me memorize this schedule? I'm new here." Miroku asked, hoping to get the one beside him to go off with him on her own. As much as he'd love to have them both it was a long school year and he figured it was best to start small and learn what wooed these rich girls best.

He waited patiently as the girls seemed to share a silent conversation. To his slight disappointment the other girl turned towards him and opened her mouth to address him. However, whatever she intended to say never came out as a messenger showed up and called her off to go see some teacher or something. Miroku didn't really care because that meant his curvy angel was the only one left to show him around. He fought had to suppress a smug grin as she closed her eyes. She obviously wasn't too keen on showing him around but no one else was there and she couldn't avoid it.

"Alright, what do you have?" She asked.

Miroku pulled his palm pilot from his pocket and quickly pulled up his schedule for her to view. He knew full well where his classes were, especially since he had the building memorized. He also had a navigation system on his laptop and palm pilot. Of course, she didn't know that and he saw no reason to tell her.

Now that the other girl was gone and his dream girl was busy looking at his schedule, he had a chance to truly study her and he definitely like what he saw. He wanted to sing praises to whoever designed the girls' uniforms because they were obviously made for her. Beyond that she had a beautiful face with soulful eyes and a rich honey sweet voice.

He wondered for a moment if she was on the battle team. She looked rather small to be a fighter but her legs were laced with lithe muscles. He let his eyes wander up from her legs to rest on her rather delectable backside. His hand itched to rub but his schedule wouldn't distract her for long and he wasn't certain just how much damage she could do to him yet. However, his schedule was rather complex, so there might be time during their walk for him to distract her with witty conversation and then "exercise" his hand.

She straightened with a sigh and brushed a hand through her hair. He contemplated momentarily whether or not she could read his mind as she began tugging on her uniform as if trying to make it cover more. Brushing her bangs to the side, she looked up at him again.

"Alright, this won't take too long." She told him before looking back at the schedule. "Miroku?"

She paused after reading his name and flickered her gaze towards him briefly before standing tall and giving her skirt one last tug. "Follow me."

"Anywhere my angel." Miroku murmured to himself as she beckoned him to follow.

"What? Did you just say….never mind." She turned away from him and proceeded up the hallway after briefly scrutinizing his face. He was surprised by how good her ears were. Most girls didn't hear him when he whispered to himself like that.

Shrugging it off, he grinned and followed slightly behind her so that he could enjoy the swaying of her hips as she walked. _'Delicious.'_ He thought his hand itching again. As he followed, a dazed look crossed his face on their silent walk. The only sound in the hallway was the soft padding of their shoes. Watching her hips and the soft sway of her long dark hair, Miroku gave into his internal instincts and his hand began to reach for her.

"Looks like we only have one class together…and of course lunch." She commented, clearly trying to break the silence. Miroku wasn't listening and completely missed it when she stopped walking.

"Your first class is here…" She started turning to face him but was cut off as he ran smack into her. He grasped onto her hips to steady her since he'd been watching her hips. They knocked foreheads and both winced. She was reaching up to rub her forehead as Miroku was reaching in the other direction, finally having his hands where he wanted them. A lecherous grin spread over his face as he squeezed gently.

She froze on the spot, her face instantly going red.

"What do you think you're doing?" She growled trying to keep her voice steady. Her tolerance went out the window when he didn't instantly let go. Balling her hand into a fist, she drove a hard punch into his gut.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" She demanded, anger gleaming in her eyes.

Miroku grunted at the sudden impact and clutch his stomach disgruntled.

"I couldn't resist. Your curves were calling." He explained dreamily. "You're pretty strong, aren't you?"

Miroku rubbed his sore stomach. That punch would definitely leave a bruise. _'So much for the new kids appeal.'_ Slipping an arm loosely across her shoulders he drew her close again and inclined his head towards hers. "So you're on the battle team, huh? You into battling guys and whatnot?"

She shot him a hard glare, her eyes glitter.

"And if I didn't value my spot on the team I'd deal with you right now." She hissed, smacking his arm off of her and turning to face him. "Look you better watch yourself here because if you don't you could wind up in the infirmary. You'll find a lot of girls here are stronger than you think and their significant others are even stronger."

"Significant others? Really? So then I assume there's a significant other I should be challenging? A jealous boyfriend perhaps?" Miroku purred. "We'd make great partners, you and I."

He waggled his eye brows suggestively to be sure she caught the double meaning of his partners comment.

"Absolutely not! And I already have a battle partner thanks and he does get rather jealous. So it looks like you're out of luck, eh?" (There was no need to tell him she and her partner weren't romantically involved and that he just had a permanent bad temper.)

A slow smile curved his lips as he stepped into her personal space again and looked down at her.

"You know, you never told me your name." Miroku smiled. "I'm sure it's just as beautiful as you are."

Again the urge to act rashly gripped him and he couldn't resist swooping down and stealing a quick kiss from her lips. He winked and darted away to avoid being hit again. At first she looked like she wanted to murder him then her entire demeanor changed. She was more like a shy flustered school girl than a raging battling spitfire.

"Miroku…wh- what exactly does this mean to you?" She stammered taking a small step forward.

Miroku grinned, surprised by her sudden change in response. He had to admit he was very please that she'd finally realized he was irresistible. Now self assured that she was safe to approach, he leaned in close to her placing a hand on her shoulder. He ran his hand slowly down her arm until he caught her hand in his own.

"Well first, you must enlighten me with the name of this significant other of yours so that I may challenge him and win your companionship. I would love to get to know a beautiful woman such as yourself better." Miroku murmured turning on the charm. "I'd like to start with the heaven's gift that is your name, my fair lady."

He grinned as he now adoring eyes never left his as she stepped closer. She raised her face to his so that their lips were almost brushing. Her hand was now gently cupping his face and a slow smile was curing her lips.

"Sango." She whispered.

"Sango." He repeated softly savoring the name before closing his eyes and leaning in for the inevitable kiss. He completely missed the dangerous glint that had just entered her eyes.

In one swift motion the hand, that had been so sweetly stroking his cheek, dealt him a hard smack across the cheek. His eyes snapped open and he gasped in pain as her knee jerked upward with the movement of her hand and he suffered a powerful slam to the groin.

"I'm not that easy, baka." She growled shooting him a death glare. She spun on her heels, her hair flourishing angrily around her with her quick movement. She stormed down the hall and out of his site presumably in quite a foul mood.

'_Oh Kami, I hope all the girls in this school aren't so brutal.'_ Miroku groaned as he tried to pick himself up off the floor. It was tough but he managed to keep any tears from leaking from his eyes as he used to lockers to support himself as he stood again.

Wheezing slightly he attempted to resume his confident posture. He rubbed his sore cheek trying to eliminate the pain from at least one of his injuries as he looked up the hallway where she'd disappeared. _'I totally had her going. She wants me, she's just denying herself.'_ He told himself. He ran a hand roughly through his hair before heading in the opposite direction from where she went. _'I'll be seeing you again soon Sango.'_

_**~The Only Reason Anyone Goes to School~**_

(InuYasha)

A muscle tee stretched across the hard muscles of InuYasha's upper torso as he stretched. He clicked the lock on his convertible and slung his jacket over his shoulder. He dropped the keys into his bock as he strolled into school. A bored disinterested look covered his face as he made his way inside. He wondered how long it would be before he was sent to the office for being out of uniform. If he was lucky he'd get sent home early, knowing Sango, she'd probably show up with a button down shirt for him knowing his tendency to arrive with a "fuck the dress code" attitude. He shook his head; he really needed a male best friend.

As he trudged towards the school he had to admit he was rather looking forward to seeing old Kaede. Not because he was hoping to hold a pleasant conversation with her but because he planned to give the old hag a piece of his mind the next time he saw her. She'd placed him in all advanced classes and wouldn't let him switch because she knew he wasn't hitting his full potential or some crap like that. He planned to give each and every one of his teachers hell for forcing him to be there. He'd skip but then he'd lose his place on the battle team so he had to attend class.

He was smart and Kaede made a point of making sure the teachers at the school knew it. That irritated him to no end because he had no desire to go around showing off how smart he was. No, he would much rather make his teachers work to see what he was capable of and if he got lucky many teachers would just give up and let him slack off for the year.

He cursed the school computers for blocking him out of the program that would change his schedule to all easy classes as he'd done the previous years. He knew deep down inside that it was his own fault that Kaede pushed him so hard. Most people thought it was because he was the son of Inu no Taisho and was destined to become one of the wealthiest people on the planet but it was really much simpler than that. He'd done exceptionally well on his entrance exams from middle school to high school. He could easily blame Sango for making him study so hard but even with the studying he could have failed the exam on purpose. It was his pride alone that made him take the test seriously. He couldn't have Sesshomaru ragging on him all the time about being both a hanyou and an imbecile. On top of that, he had to be eligible for the battle team. Lastly, Sango had put in a lot of effort to help him get ready and she was pretty fun to study with. He would kill before risking let anyone else take his place with her on the team.

He paused cringing that was a dangerous thought. He didn't like where that was going. It was enough work juggling Kagome and Kikyou he didn't need to turn his relationship with Sango into a life or death situation as well. Though in truth sometimes he felt he cared more for his best friend than either Kagome or Kikyou. She didn't complicate his life and she was always pleasant company. She probably knew him better than he knew himself. Even Sesshomaru found her presence tolerable and he hated humans. InuYasha froze, mentally scolding himself. This needed to stop, now! Why the hell did Sango's name keep coming up in his mind so much lately? He'd seen her a couple of times over the summer but it didn't stop him from missing her whenever he didn't see her. _'Stop it brain! Stop!'_ It was clear Kikyou's constant badgering over how much time he spent with Sango was really beginning to work on his head.

He was making his way to the doors when the school's famed battle team captain strolled outside and settled herself under a tree. He glanced at the building, then shrugged and went to join her, he had time and Kikyou was rarely ever early. He moved silently, creeping up beside her.

"Morning!" He grinned, dropping down next to her.

"InuYasha!" Enju whispered curtly. He grinned realizing this was one of those rare moments in which he managed to surprise her.

"How was your summer?" HE asked throwing his arm across her shoulders and shifting so that she was more tucked into his side.

"InuYasha!" She blushed while attempting to scold him. "I'm you captain and Kikyou drama is so not how I want to start this school year."

InuYasha laughed and shook his head. "I'm not trying to rape you Enju. I'm just making this seating arrangement more comfortable."

"Mmhmm, I'm sure it must be difficult for you not to have one of your girlfriends tucked under your arm at all times." She teased.

"It's absolute murder, glad you understand." He joked back.

Enju laughed and leaned back against the tree they were sitting under. The two were silent, enjoying the companionable silence. The only noise was the occasional rustling of leaves as they watched people walk by.

"Hmm, Sango should have been here by now. I could have sworn I saw her car in the parking lot." InuYasha muttered. "Have you seen her?"

"Oh crap! Come on." Enju gasped jumping up and grabbing InuYasha's arm.

"Huh? Where are we going?" InuYasha complained as he was dragged into the school.

"Er, Sango might need our help. Some new guy was trying to get up her skirt earlier." Enju explained.

"WHAT?! Come on!" InuYasha shouted, grabbing Enju's wrist and reversing their roles as he used Sango's scent to track her down faster. "Tell me everything."

Enju looked at him quizzically for a moment and then shrugged and launched into her story about the new guy being lost and the messenger separating them.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" InuYasha griped as he made his way through the halls.

"I forgot. I didn't realize it matter to you so much. Does Kikyou know about this?" Enju laughed.

"Does Kikyou know about what? I can' be concerned for my best friend's well being can't I? My concern doesn't mean anything more than that. I know how uncomfortable Sango gets and that's it." InuYasha snapped.

"Wow, I didn't say any of that but okay. Guilty conscience?" Enju teased.

"WHAT?! Shut up!" InuYasha shouted.

Enju doubled over with laughter at InuYasha's reaction to her teasing.

"Chill out InuYasha. I'm just kidding." She laughed.

"You can't joke like that." InuYasha whispered looking around. "Kikyou's got spies everywhere."

"Since when have you cared?" Enju snorted.

"I don't but for Sango's sake. " He said.

"By that you mean, Sango will kill you if you get her involved in your relationship mess in any way shape or form considering Kikyou likes to declare war on anyone show even a remote interest in."

"Stop jumping to conclusions."

"Alright, InuYasha, I'll leave you alone for now." Enju laughed winking at him.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He growled.

"Look, there's Sango!" Enju said quickly.

"Subject changer." He muttered as Enju hurried over to their friend.

_**~Devious Much? ~**_

(Naraku)

Naraku's face contorted into a sneer as he turned to check his monitors. He was absolutely disgusted by the sight of the battle team captain cuddled up with InuYasha under a tree. _'I'll kill that damn mutt this year.'_ He growled inwardly. _'That mutt and his brother are spoiled as hell and think they own the whole damn school just because of their father…but that's all going to change. It won't matter anymore since this is our last year. I'll show them all how weak and pathetic they are.'_

Naraku hated their friendship because he felt it made the battle captain biased in her selections and deep down inside though he refused to admit it jealousy stirred within him. The girl unknowingly took such gentle care of him when she was home. She knew him under the alias of Onigumo and her kindness did not go unnoticed. However, her attachment to the hanyou made Naraku despise her despite her gentle nature and friendly personality.

He watched the two sitting there for a bit longer and scowled hitting a few keys to capture the image. _'I'm sure Kikyou will enjoy the photo.'_ He tapped a few more keys to pull up his email and attached the image to a brief message. He paused savoring Kikyou's image as it appear in the corner of his screen signifying she would be the one receiving the email. She should have been his were it not for that damned InuYasha but this year InuYasha would pay in full for every time he'd interfered with Naraku's plans. Kikyou would have to pay as well. Her rejection was not yet forgiven thus her perfection bothered him to no end. He would not rest until she was ruined, violated.

'_Gorgeous wench!'_ He hit the send key harder than he intended to. He always got angry with himself for staring at her picture longer than necessary. It was annoying. She was a weakness which he hated above all other things. He should destroy her completely but he knew he'd always give her another chance.

Closing the box, he returned to watching the monitors. He growled, again, irritated by the mere sight of InuYasha. _'That bastard doesn't deserve any of what he has.'_ Naraku slammed his fist down on his desk.

'_I loathe that accursed half breed.'_ Turning furiously, Naraku watched other students appearing in the parking lot and the assorted buses and limos dropping students off. Flickering his gaze to another monitor, he felt rage yet again when he caught sight of InuYasha's battle partner. If she wasn't so close to InuYasha, Naraku would off Sango a spot on his team. In fact, her very first year he had done just that and she had refused him. It infuriated him that InuYasha got her instead as the taijiya was not to be underestimated. Her loyalty to InuYasha disgusted him and she was a test in student, a nobody. She'd have to be purged from the school along with her little brother.

Naraku wanted to crush her first, just to piss InuYasha off. The hanyou probably wouldn't hold out very long if he lost his beloved battle partner. Naraku smirked; he would swear to anyone that something was going on between the hanyou and the exterminator to make them such close "friends." He just didn't have any proof yet. Once he got it though Kikyou would be the first to hear about it.

He watched her now, sneering as it looked like she had finally decided it was time to stop being such a frigid bitch. He quickly concluded that the guy she was currently blushing and tripping over was one of the new students. With two key strokes he had pulled up the guy's file. _'Well, at least the girl has somewhat decent taste. He's not completely poor. She's apparently got some brains left in her head but I suppose this adds him to my list of people to destroy.'_ He sighed as he glanced over his list of people to ruin. It was growing rather quickly and the school year hadn't even begun yet. Naraku didn't mind this, of course. That just meant that the school year wouldn't be entirely boring.

Rising from his desk, he went to his closet and flung it open. A cruel smile twisted his features as he fingered a fur pelt that he'd ordered just for the school year. He was actually considering leaving his lair. Disgusted as he was with the caliber of students in this school; he planned to battle this year. He would battle and win crushing any and all competition.

_**~Calc 3~**_

(Group)

Sango glanced at InuYasha with a worried expression. Since she'd told him and Enju what happened with the new kid, he'd been moody and quiet. It was rare for InuYasha to be quiet, even rarer for Sango and InuYasha to fight. She could only interpret this behavior as the silent treatment, though she wasn't quite sure why she was in trouble. She hadn't meant to upset him.

_**~flashback~**_

"_He what?" InuYasha growled._

"_He thinks he can challenge you for your spot on the team as my partner." Sango repeated._

"_He wants to what?! Some new punk, think he can just walk in here and challenge me! I'll kick his scrawny, good for nothing ass! Point him out!" InuYasha snarled._

"_InuYasha, get a hold of yourself. He didn't realize who he was messing with. I took care of it. We don't know how good he is anyway. He'll have to register a fight with Enju and then we'll see." Sango soothed._

"_You say that like you think he could possibly compare!" InuYasha snapped._

"_I didn't say that." Sango said with an exasperated sigh._

"_But you didn't say you don't think that either." InuYasha continued to argue._

"_C'mon InuYasha, you know I don't think that. Besides, there won't be much of him to compare to if he comes around again." She said trying to be reasonable."_

"_Whatever Sango." InuYasha huffed and turned away from her._

_**~end flashback~**_

Sango sighed. Something was definitely bothering him but she'd just have to wait for him to want to talk about it. Knowing InuYasha, it could be a while before he was ready to talk. Sango dropped her eyes to the floor and her shoulders slumped. She and InuYasha fought so rarely that it was major depressing when it happened. He always had jokes or sarcastic comments to lift her spirits when she was having a bad day but now who was supposed to make light of the situation for her until she felt better.

--

InuYasha had been silent the entire walk to class. He didn't know why he was so moody. There was no way this new guy could ever replace him but if he lost Sango or Enju he'd lose his last claim to sanity. He'd often refer to the two as his favorite girls because they were the only girls in the school who made his life easier. They weren't petty or shallow like most of the girls in the school and that made him happy. He wasn't going to let anyone come in between their bond of friendship. It was a rare thing for a hanyou to have such close friends; he couldn't let that go, not without a fight.

--

Enju glanced uncertainly at the two friends on either side of her. The silence was becoming increasingly uncomfortable since their time together usually consisted of playful banter and lots of laughter. She sighed as they made it all the way to their first class of the day without a word passed between the two. _'This is going to be hell. Calc 3, first hour, what's up with that?'_

She took her usual seat with Sango in the very last row of the classroom hoping to keep the less attentive students closer to the teachers so that the rest of the class could learn in peace. Enju frowned as InuYasha chose to sit in from of them rather than in the same row. She opened her laptop and waited patiently for InuYasha to turn his on before sending him a message.

E: Are you okay?

I: Fine

E: Then why are you being so grumpy.

I: I'm not.

E: …

Sango laughed quietly as she read over the short conversation. He always pouted like a puppy and denied anything was wrong. Usually they would tease him with how adorable he looked when pouting.

S: Would it make things better if I told you his name?

I: Maybe.

S: What are you going to do with the name?

I: Nothing. Would it matter if I did do something with it, though?

Sango was silent staring at the screen. What kind of question was that? It shouldn't matter. So it didn't. '_Of course, it doesn't matter.'_ She shook her head not believing she'd had to think about that for even a second. _'Why would it matter? The guy was a creep.'_

I: You know, I think she might actually like this guy.

E: InuYasha!

I: Well why does she have to think about it for so long?

E: Seriously Inu, chill out!

'_Geez, he's worse than a jealous boyfriend.'_ Enju thought shaking her head. She glanced over at Sango and cringed. The taijiya was glaring at her computer screen after having read the conversation between InuYasha and Enju over her should.

"Sango?" Enju whispered trying to sooth the other girl's temper.

'_What the crap? I don't like that guy. What is InuYasha's problem?'_ Sango though angrily.

S: Honestly, InuYasha, I don't bug you about pimping around the school so why accuse me of having feelings for some creep that I clearly have no interest in? I beat the hell out of him and I hope the other girls do too. So would you stop being such a jerk about it? You so unreasonably stubborn sometimes!

Sango clenched her hands into fists as she tried to calm down. She took a deep breath and slowly uncurled her fingers. Releasing the breath, the returned her fingers to the keys and continued her message.

S: Why are you making such a big deal out of this anyway? He was, as I've said before, a major creep and I took care of it. Why drag it on past that? What's really bothering you?

I: It's none of your business!

S: WHAT? What the hell do you mean it's none of my business? I haven't done anything wrong but I am still trying to fix whatever's apparently gone wrong between us but I can't do that unless you stop being an ass.

Enju glanced between the two worriedly as she peered at Sango's screen. It was very rare that Sango truly lost her temper but InuYasha was pushing it today. He, of course, would know exactly what to say to really piss her off. Enju wished now more than ever to be able to see what he was thinking so that she could help her two friends. She didn't like them like this. _'What is he so mad about?'_

--

InuYasha rolled his eyes after reading what Sango had to say. _'Feh, women! So damn touchy about little stuff.'_ He hadn't meant to make a big deal out of this. He really only wanted to protect her, right? _'Why does that guy bother me so much? It's not like I care if she likes him or not. It's just Sango. Having a boyfriend might do her some good…just not that guy because he's a creep…but someone.'_ Naturally, that someone would have to be someone he approved of. He couldn't let his best friend go out with just anybody. She was a special girl and she deserved only the best. As her best friend it was his job to ensure she received the best and this guy just didn't sound like he was good enough.

I: Look, I'm just checking because you're my best friend and I love you. Plus, we wouldn't want you to be distracted or anything this school year. We're supposed to really be making a name for ourselves. We want to have an awesome season and we can't afford any pests. After all, **we** would hate to lose just because you were taking it easy on your boyfriend. I think Kikyou and Kagome cause us enough trouble as it is. You're supposed to be the responsible one in the friendship and I'm the screw up.

AND I DO NOT PIMP AROUND SCHOOL!!!

I can't help it if I'm extremely attractive and beautiful loose girls are attracted to me. I didn't ask to be hotter than hell itself. It's a curse really to be so gorgeous all the time. The perfect face and amazing body are a real burden at times. It's a tiring and twenty-four hour job looking this good all the time. I get no peace.

Maybe one day, when I'm old, I won't suffer this curse of teenage perfection and the hoards of beautiful girls throwing themselves at me but until then I will just have to continue my struggle to survive. I will have to continue searching for the one who truly loves me and not the fact that I'm insanely rich and ridiculously good looking, lol.

:P

I 3 you Sango!

S: One day, I'll kill you in your sleep for such arrogance InuYasha. 3 Sango

Sango beamed at the screen happy that they'd made up in their own strange way. If they weren't in class she might even feel inclined to hug him.

"He can't be that amazing; neither of us has thrown our self at him." Enju whispered to Sango causing both girls to burst out laughing.

I: I heard that wench! And I happen to know you want me. You can deny it all you want, I know the truth. I'm a sexy beast and I have references to back up that statement. You know I star in all your dreams.

InuYasha smirked then turned and flashed Enju a devilish grin with a wink as he hit the send key. He chuckled to himself as he turned back around. A scowl crossed his face as the teacher finally entered the room. Slumping down fully intent to ignore the new presence he lost himself in his thoughts.

He was well aware that Sango and Enju were possibly the only girls in school that were completely immune to his charm. Fortunately for him, this was never a problem as he'd always seen them more as sisters and dependable partners rather than as girlfriends. Or, at least that's what he liked to attribute his over protectiveness to.

I: Actually girls, I'm rather glad you two aren't complete airheads. It's nice to know that someone in this school doesn't have sex on the brain 24/7. I have mad crazy love and respect for the both of you just because of that.

E: Not **complete** airheads? You should know we're both glaring at you right now.

I: Did I mention I love you? :D

InuYasha quickly minimized their conversations as he pulled up the calc program that they would need for participation. At the teachers request he accessed the introduction page then leaned back to begin finding a good napping position.

I: Ugh, she's going to be a bore. I can feel it. I hope you're able to stay awake Sango.

S: What would you do if I suddenly decided to not take notes for both of us?

I: Fail.

Sango smacked a hand to her forehead. That was not the response she had been hoping for but definitely the one she had expected. InuYasha would never change.

--

Naraku had hacked into the core database of the school and entered the server to keep an eye on those he despised. In theory, he should probably have been paying attention to his AP Physics class but it was ever so boring. Instead, he was sitting at his desk freely intercepting everyone's messages but he'd decided to focus on the Calc 3 trio's messages. He rolled his eyes at InuYasha's arrogance and decided it was time to cut in. Too much more and he'd probably throw up.

N: Ready to lose your spot as top of the class taijiya? Have fun screwing your hanyou if you like since that will be the only way to console yourself when you're not only second best in the school but second best on the battle team.

N: As for you InuYasha, your arrogance will be your downfall. I will enjoy watching you lose everything at my hand.

N: Enju, however, you are looking quite well this year. I should hope you won't bring yourself to any harm by interfering in these battles. Nothing the hand book won't allow, I assure you. I'm just warning you so you won't be too broken hearted when the dream team falls apart and there's a new favorite in the school. If you decide to battle this year, I know we'll do great things together. -)

Naraku grinned as he sent the individual messages. Besides Kikyou, the accursed battle team captain had come to be a distraction for him from time to time. He had yet to witness her battle anyone but she hadn't been named captain for nothing. _'She will submit to me.'_ A wicked snarl stretched across his face as he tapped a few keys, instantly killing both Sango and InuYasha's laptops. He showed favor to the captain and decided to leave her laptop untouched.

N: Tell your little friends that's not all I can do, captain.

_**~Why Boys Are Stupid~**_

(Enju)

Enju could hear InuYasha growling and the rapid typing of the keys as he responded to Naraku's message. It was well known that they were arch foes and InuYasha's muttering about the bastard from hell that needed to die only added to this conviction.

"WHAT?!" Sango whispered harshly beside her. "Screw him..! That's just wrong on so many levels. I don't even know how to begin responding to that!"

The two went silent as their laptops suddenly shut off. Enju could feel the waves of hatred and rage coming from InuYasha right now.

"BASTARD!" InuYasha shouted furiously. He slammed his fist down on the desk, leaving a deep dent in the cool steel.

Enju's eyes were wide staring at what had once been a smooth surface.

"WHAT?!" InuYasha snapped, scowling around the classroom. He bared his fangs at the teacher, daring her to reprimand him for his outburst. Enju watched as the students snapped their attention back to their screens and the teacher stood in the center of the room her jaw held tight. Finally the woman must have decided punishing InuYasha wouldn't be worth whatever further outbursts he'd commit, she turned on her heels and began writing on the board again as if nothing happened.

"That's what I thought." InuYasha snorted, turning back to his compute.

"Wow!" Enju breathed silently. She'd seen InuYasha threaten people tons of times but it was always amazing to see it work on the teachers as well. Kaede was probably the only person on staff that InuYasha couldn't frighten.

"I'm gonna kill that bastard!" InuYasha muttered as his laptop rebooted. "If he erased any of my files, I swear…"

He continued to mutter to himself but Enju stopped listening as she finally turned to read her own message. She stared at the screen for a moment, processing what Naraku had said. Frowning, she began her response. She wasn't sure if Naraku would respond but she was still curious.

E: Are you going to become the "new favorite" then?

"Are your laptops okay girls?" InuYasha asked turning around.

"Yeah, mine's alright." Sango responded while Enju simply nodded waiting for Naraku to respond.

"Well then we should discuss more important matters, such as Sango's tone of voice." InuYasha stated.

"My tone?" Sango asked at a complete loss for his meaning.

"I don't appreciate that tone of voice you were using. I'm hurt. What's so wrong with screwing me? You say it like it's a bad thing. Apparently I need to remind you that I'm the best. I've got references for that too." InuYasha joked, sending Sango a mock hurt look. Enju and Sango laughed shaking their head. Sango returned to taking notes and InuYasha pulled out his phone and began texting Kikyou to find out where she was.

N: Of course I intend to become the new favorite. You don't think I'd just crush InuYasha without some form of gain for myself. I'm a very busy man and he's just in the way of my networking. You'll want to warn that obnoxious wolf Kouga of his upcoming failure as he'll need to be crushed too. Anyone who gets in my way will be crushed.

You'll have to forgive me but I believe your hands will be tired and your head hurting from all the challenges I plan to issue this year. I've spent the last two years studying your fighters and I know all their strengths and weaknesses and I will demolish each of them. If you're wise, you'll save them the trouble and just name me as your second. As that is what I intend to become.

The mutt and his orphan girlfriend can't compare to me so I suggest you drop them now so that your name won't go down in flames with them.

E: If you're as skilled as you claim to be, prove it on the battle field. Otherwise, I don't care what you think or do. However, if you break the rules and touch my friends be assured I'll find out and end you myself because you're right about one thing. I wasn't named captain for nothing.

N: You have no idea what I can do.

E: And you have no idea what I can do.

It wasn't often Enju felt the need to threaten people but she hated kids like this. It was so annoying, these punks who thought they could threaten their way onto the battle team. In reality she wouldn't have to fight to get rid of this kid. InuYasha would flatten him but if InuYasha failed she had no doubts what so ever Sesshomaru could finish this Naraku kid without breaking a sweat. The daiyoukai was terrifyingly calm about everything. He made it into the number one spot on the team with ease every year. Only a fool could imagine that they would surpass him.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

_**~Mondays~**_

(Kikyou)

Kikyou sighed as her chauffer helped her out of her white stretch limo. She gave him a half smile before sashaying into school. She glanced at the clock as she entered and rolled her eyes. There was only five minutes left of first hour. _'Oh well. I'll just ask Sesshomaru what I missed. It's not like anyone does anything the first day of school anyway.'_

If Kaede asked, she could easily lie and say she took Shippou to school for Kagome. If Kikyou weren't so worried about getting lines in her old age, she would have frowned. _'Kagome.'_ Her sister had come banging on her door earlier this morning ordering her to get up and then going on to tell her how if she didn't get up she would leave without her. Kikyou hadn't really cared though. She wasn't getting up so eventually Kagome stopped her shouting and left. The only thing that irritated Kikyou about the situation was the fact that Kagome had made her wake up and kept her up for at least five minutes.

Looking up the hallway, she debated going to wait outside of her next class. With a snort, she mentally berated herself for even considering such a lame idea. Turning down a different hallway she found her locker and threw it open.

She fondly stroked a picture of InuYasha that she kept insider her locker door. Then she promptly ripped it to shreds. Her eyes roamed over the remaining pictures in her locker of her and close friends as well as fond memories of dates with InuYasha. _'It's a new year.'_ She told herself before ripping them all out. _'He will not ruin my senior year.'_

The bell rang causing her eyes to drift up and another sigh to escape her. She was going to enjoy her senior year and InuYasha was going to behave or she was really done with him this time. Now she did frown. How many times had she said that before? _'I hate you for this Inuyasha.'_

_**~Girls~**_

(InuYasha)

InuYasha blew at his bangs while counting the minutes until the bell rang. Naraku had finally shut up so Sango and Enju were paying attention to the lesson, leaving InuYasha bored out of his mind. He'd given up on getting a text back from Kikyou. He would just have to look for her after class like a normal boyfriend. _'She probably skipped her first class and slept in anyway.'_ He thought, tapping a sharp nail on the desk. Earlier he'd done his best to fix the dent in his desk. It wasn't perfect but it would do. That project hadn't taken him nearly long enough though. He glared at the clock again. _'Ring! Ring damn it.'_

The closing of laptops gave him some hope as the teacher finished by assigning homework he wasn't going to do. He turned in his seat to watch Sango and Enju chatter excitedly about the battle teams. He rolled his eyes not really caring much about anything they had to say. His only concern was what day he needed to register. He and Sango had had the rare honor of joining the team their first year because of their advanced skills. They'd been underestimated then but he was sure the other teams had already begun preparing for yet another year of intense competition.

"Hey Sango, we should get together later and practice before the registration schedules are posted. I want to see what you were working on all summer." InuYasha said.

"That sounds great. I'm glad you're ready to work. We'll set a time in gym, okay?" Sango grinned.

"Works for me." Inuyasha responded, getting up as the bell finally rang. He looked up and down the hallway not quite sure how he was going to find Kikyou just yet. Using his nose might take forever with some many mixed scents in the building. As he pushed through the halls, he spotted Kagome coming out of the trig room.

"Kagome!" He called, waving at her across the hall. Sango and Enju slipped by him calling out their good-byes before disappearing into the student masses.

"InuYasha!" Kagome shouted pouncing on him for a hug. Laughing, InuYasha returned her hug and dropped a light kiss on her forehead. A blush lit up her cheeks when he did that and he was charmed by how cute the blush made her look.

"How have you been?" He asked. Normally he'd ask how her summer was but he knew how a part of it was but it was probably best they not talk about that here…or ever. He and Kikyou were back together now and it was safer for Kagome that they just pretend their interlude had never happened.

"I've been good. I've been great actually. I did lots of fun things….with people…Oh, oops. InuYasha, I nearly forgot. I'd like you to meet my new friend Miroku. He's new and has next hour with us. We can all walk together." Kagome suggested.

"Er, maybe tomorrow. It's to meet you Miroku but I have to go find Kikyou right now." InuYasha replied shaking the new guys hand.

Miroku nodded in understanding but Kagome looked rather upset.

"I suppose you came to ask me where she is, didn't you." Kagome whispered.

InuYasha gave her an apologetic smile but nodded.

"Well I don't know. I'm not her keeper, InuYasha. She might still be sleeping for all I care. I left without her." Kagome snapped. With that she turned, grabbing Miroku's arm and stomped to their next class.

'_I'll apologize for that later.'_ InuYasha thought as he turned to wander the halls. He went towards the entrance hoping to spot Kikyou as she was coming in.

As he got closer to her locker, he finally spotted the back of her head. He growled, seeing his brother there talking to her. Kikyou was leaning flirtatiously against her locker giggling at something Sesshomaru had said. Inuyasha squared his shoulders preparing for a fight when Bankotsu tapped Sesshomaru's arm and the two left Kikyou with Kagura and Kaguya at the locker. InuYasha wasn't sure if he was relived or annoyed that he'd missed an argument with his older brother. Shrugging it off, he came up behind Kikyou and wrapped his arms around her slim waist and rest his chin on her shoulder.

"Good morning beautiful." He murmured against her neck.

Kagura rolled her eyes and told Kikyou she'd see her in class. She and Kaguya flipped their glossy locks over their shoulders and departed. InuYasha made a face at their backs and then placed a gentle kiss against Kikyou's neck. Kikyou turned in his arms and smiled coyly at him.

"I was just wondering when you were going to show up." Kikyou purred. "You missed me over the summer?"

He had seen her often enough over the summer just like every other year but she always asked as if they'd spent the entire time away from each other.

"Of course." InuYasha grinned, holding her close and resting his forehead against hers.

"How much?" She asked with a cute pout.

InuYasha smirked. He'd been expecting this question since she asked it every year. Fortunately, he'd always known that some cheesy line or overbearing kisses weren't going to cut it with this girl. She was teenage royalty and expected to be treated as such.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a long slim silver box. Kikyou raised an eyebrow as she took the box and opened it. A smile lit up her face and she kissed InuYasha's cheek after seeing the beautiful white gold necklace studded with a mix of diamonds and rubies. He breathed an inward sigh of relief knowing he had passed this test.

Kikyou offered her hand to InuYasha and he took it, lacing his fingers through her. _'It's a good start. Maybe we'll get along fine this year.'_ He thought as they began walking to her next class.

_**~AP English~**_

(Kagome)

Kagome stomped into class. She tossed her books down on the first desk and then sat down to brood. Miroku kept relatively silent, occasionally glancing at her as if debating saying something.

'_Boys!'_ She thought angrily. _'The nerve of them sometimes. How can he just act like there was nothing between us? Why does he have to constantly remind me that he thinks Kikyou is SO much better? Why does InuYasha only show up when he can't find Kikyou or when he is fighting with Kikyou? Why am I always second best to her? And why the hell can't he see how much I care about him and how much it hurts knowing Kikyou will always be first?'_

Kagome sniffed trying to keep the tears at bay. Why couldn't she just hate him for being such a jerk?

"Um, Kagome…I'm not trying to pry but if I can be of any assistance or comfort, by all means, I'm here for you." Miroku offered, opening his arms and inviting her into his embrace.

"Oh Miroku, you're so sweet. Why can't InuYasha be as sweet?" She cried, throwing herself into his arms and letting the tears fall.

"There, there Kagome. I'm sure this is all just a misunderstanding." Miroku soothed.

"No it's not! This is how it's always been. Kagome, where's Kikyou? Kagome, tell Kikyou this, give her that. Kagome, it's been fun but Kikyou, Kikyou, Kikyou! That's all he cares about. But what about me? What's so wrong with being with me?" Kagome ranted.

Miroku was spared from having to come up with an answer to Kagome's questions as she felt herself being pulled back into strong arms. For a moment her heart stopped thinking perhaps InuYasha had come rushing to her side upon hearing her distress.

"Hello gorgeous. You wouldn't be crying over that stupid mutt again would ya?" Kouga grinned down at her. Despite the brief disappointment of realizing InuYasha hadn't suddenly had a change of heart and realized her loved her, Kagome couldn't help but smile as she twisted around to hug Kouga.

"Kouga, Ginta, Hakkaku! How are you? Hey! Where were you this morning? Oh woops, meet Miroku, he's new. Did you have a nice summer?" Kagome bubbled with questions until Kouga affectionately shushed her. He nodded briefly to Miroku before launching into her list of questions. Kagome waved to Ginta and Hakkaku as they waved and found seats in the row behind her and Miroku.

"I'm doin' alright, hell of a lot better now that we're back together, though." Kouga grinned making Kagome blush. His crush on her was no secret but she kept holding out for InuYasha to come around. She'd relented a few times and gone on a couple of dates with Kouga but she couldn't forget about InuYasha through any of them. "And as for this morning, I missed trig because I apparently have a fiancée that no one bothered to tell me about. She arrived sometime last night and we spent the morning arguing over whether or not the betrothal was valid until the elders realized the time and rushed us out the door."

"Boy did you miss out on some fun." Ginta laughed.

"Yeah, I haven't seen Kouga that mad in forever." Hakkaku agreed.

"And that fiancée of his is just as stubborn as he is." Ginta laughed.

"Shut up, you two." Kouga growled.

"Oh! Well that's exciting." Kagome said politely.

"Hardly, I have no intention of going through with this crap." Kouga snorted.

"Oh? Why not?" Kagome asked confused.

"Because I'm marrying you of course." Kouga laughed, slinging an arm around her shoulders.

Kagome laughed with him hoping he was kidding. She offered Kouga the seat next to her so that she was now sitting between him and Miroku.

_**~Why Fiancés Suck~**_  
(Ayame)

Ayame bit her lip trying to hold back the tears of hurt as she wandered alone down the hallway. Nothing was going the way she had imagined it would. Not only did Kouga not recognize her but he flat out told her there wasn't a chance in hell that he'd marry her because he was in love with someone else. At this comment the elders from both tribes had been contacted and the shouting match began.

She swiped at her eyes and tightened her jaw before glancing down at her schedule. _'I'll show him. Grandfather will come straighten things out in no time.'_ She decided, drawing confidence from inside. She glanced at the room number in front of her and frowned. _'Dang it, wrong room again.'_ This was getting frustrating. If only she'd remembered the navigation program, she'd be sitting next to Kouga right now and talking him into seeing the error of his ways. Or if Kouga wasn't such a jerk he would have walked her to class since they had pretty much the same schedule. He was just so shocked and angry but she could work with that. _'But I'll never work things out if I can't find him.'_

Glancing hopelessly up the clearing hallway she saw a handsome silver haired hanyou peck an exceptionally beautiful girl on the lips before turning to walk up the hall. Ayame eyed the girl slowly and deduced from the flushed face that the peck on the lips wasn't all she'd gotten before her boyfriend's departure. The girl disappeared into the classroom he'd left her at leaving the hallway even emptier. Glancing back at the hanyou, she made a quick decision to catch up.

She came to a halt at his side and she gave him a friendly smile.

"Hi, I'm Ayame. I'm sorry to bother you but I'm new here and I can't find my class. Would you mind pointing me in the right direction?" She asked.

Her breath caught in her throat as he turned to face her. _'Oh wow, he's really, really good looking up close.'_ She thought taking in the beauty of the liquid gold eyes, sharp nose, and soft lips. He looked her over before holding out his hand looking somewhat bored. Ayame stood frozen for a moment staring at his face before a frown crossed her pretty face seeing his waiting hand. It took a moment before she realized he was asking for her palm pilot. _'Of course, he needs my schedule if he's going to show me to my class.'_ She quickly pulled it from her pocket and flipped off the cover. She blushed as she handed it to him and muttered a soft apology for the delay as he took it from her.

"You're in luck Ayame. We're both going to the same class. I'm going to assume you're smart if you're in AP English though not being able to navigate a school kinda says otherwise when they give you a navigation program." He said gruffly though there was certain friendliness in his tone that assured her he wasn't actually annoyed or insulting her. He dropped the palm pilot into her hands.

"I'm book smart but it seems common sense has flown right out the window. I forgot the install the navigation program. Since getting here things haven't exactly gone according to plan." She shrugged.

"Don't worry about it. I'll beam it to you in class. The name's InuYasha by the way. Where did you come here from?"

Ayame grinned and began walking with him. "I lived in the mountains with my grandfather where I attended an all girl's boarding school."

"How'd you end up here?"

"Well…"

_**~Surrounded by Losers~**_

(Sesshomaru)

Sesshomaru leaned easily against the cushioned walls of the practice dome. He rolled his eyes as Kikyou flashed about her newest gift from his half-witted brother, InuYasha. Kaguya was the only one really listening as Kagura stretched and he waited for Bankotsu to get out of the locker room. His best friend finally swaggered out of the locker room and took his place against the wall as well. Though Bankotsu was a year younger, he and Sesshomaru had easily become friends. Their lack of interest in school, disdain for most humans, and hatred of InuYasha made them fast friends.

"Hey." Bankotsu greeted. Sesshomaru gave him a brief nod but otherwise didn't acknowledge his presence. "Do you girls ever talk about anything worthwhile?"

A small smile tugged at the corner of Sesshomaru's mouth as Bankotsu promptly shut the gossip queens up.

"Sheesh, a fellow can't get any peace around here with those three around. How do you do it Sessh?" Bankotsu continued.

"I ignore it knowing they'll be screeching about the break up by the end of the day." Sesshomaru shrugged.

"We're not that bad Sessho." Kikyou pouted.

"I suppose to be fair we should say you'll be screeching at 12:01am, then?" Bankotsu quipped getting a laugh out of Kagura.

Sesshomaru watched as Kikyou placed annoyed hands on her hips before ripping into Bankotsu's "wanna be pimp" status but the words went right over his head as Bankotsu's gaze was drawn over Kikyou's shoulder. He let out a low whistle as he checked out the girl exiting the girls' changing room.

Sesshomaru instantly recognized the scent and the uniform of his younger brother's battle partner.

"Damn, she gets hotter every year." Bankotsu commented.

"Oh do stop drooling. She's not that great." Kikyou growled.

Sesshomaru knew for a fact that other than Kagome no one in the school aggravated Kikyou more than Sango. He also knew that the two girls had never actually held a conversation but Kikyou was convinced that InuYasha cared more about his "oh so perfect best friend" than her his own girlfriend which was probably true.

"You're not jealous are you Kikyou?" Bankotsu smirked.

"She could only hope to be so flattered. I'm just being honest. If you looked up frigid bitch in the dictionary I'm sure there's a nice collage of her there. Plus she's poor."Kikyou snarled. "Come on Kagura, Kaguya, we'll go warm up where the male pigs aren't in heat over a mousy little nobody."

Kaguya and Kikyou turned in a great dramatic flourish and glided away. Kagura paused to shrug apologetically towards the guys before following her friends.

"Her generous use of plurals can be quite insulting at times." Sesshomaru noted.

"Oh come on Sessh! You don't want her? Not even just a little bit?" Bankotsu demanded in disbelief. The impassive expression on Sesshomaru's face had him rolling his eyes. "You're crazy Sesshomaru. I'd definitely hit that. Guess it's my luck that you're not interested though. I won't have to fight you for her."

"Precisely…because you'd lose." Sesshomar said with a smirk as he pushed off of the wall and left his flabbergasted friend behind to approach the slayer. He wouldn't lie and say the girl was unattractive because her taijiya uniform was definitely hugging in all the right places but she simply wasn't his type. Beautiful but not exceptional. Strong but human. Intelligent and civilized but definitely not wealthy and therefore not his type. At most he respected her skills on the battle field and she was pretty enough to keep around like a fine piece of art but certainly not the kind of girl he would ever consider dating for a second.

"Come slayer, it is time to test your skills." Sesshomaru informed her as he glided by.

"Excuse me?" She asked with a frown.

"You heard me. Draw your sword and meet me in the ring." He said. He heard her annoyed sigh and then her light footsteps following behind him and into the ring regardless. She knew it was best to not aggravate him.

He turned to face her. "Come at me."

"What?"

"Are you deaf today, taijiya?"

She ground her teeth but drew her practice katana as he'd instructed. He watched her set her feet then close her eyes for a moment to center her focus. Her eyes opened and with a quick flick of the wrist she came at him as he'd commanded. He blocked her attack, their swords clacking in a loud manner as she threw her body weight forward with the attack. He almost smiled, in battles InuYasha usually covered brute strength and she took care of speed and distance attacks with her famed boomerang bone. With her small size, her weight was easy to throw off.

Her feet had barely hit the ground when she pivoted cutting her arm back sending the blunted blade at his neck. He stepped back easily bringing his own blunted sword up to swipe at her chest. This time, she leapt back to avoid the clash of smooth metal and her suit.

He stopped and allowed her to catch her breath as he sheath his sword. He smirked as he watched her let out a breath then blow her bangs out of her face.

"Good speed and technique. I assume you're partnering with my brother again, only Kami knows why, you've actually got some talent." Sesshomaru assessed.

He wasn't exactly friends with the taijiya but from one fighter to another there was a sort of mutual respect since she and InuYasha had taken third at districts two years again.

"Is that a compliment? Why thank you Sesshomaru-sama. That was completely unexpected and yes, I'm still planning to be your brother's partner. Whether you'll admit it or not he is equally talented. He is your brother after all, isn't he?" Sango grinned.

"He is merely a half-brother but the point is understood." Sesshomaru nodded. "Until next time taijiya."

He turned then leaving her in the ring.

"You could have at least gotten me her number while you were in there." Bankotsu began sulking the minute Sesshomaru stepped out of the ring.

"You're really quite pathetic, did you know that?" Sesshomaru asked in his usual monotone.

_**~First Day of School~**_

(Rin)

Rin watched the door anxiously. She'd made it with few difficulties to her first class of the day and managed to survive the awkward stand up and tell the class about yourself stage of the first day of high school. She breathed a sigh of relief as she sank into the chair of her second class. She could barely contain her excitement. She jumped every time someone entered the classroom. She had this class with Kohaku. A blush stained her cheeks as the giddy feeling swept through her again just for thinking his name. She had studied hard with help from Sesshomaru to get into a second year class. Now she would be in class with the cutest, sweetest, nicest boy she'd ever met and to top it off his older sister adored her.

Rin had been hoping all summer that InuYasha would invite Sango over so that she could casually suggest that Kohaku come too. Unfortunately, Sango had been away most of the summer and then there had been the accident. She gone to see him but he wasn't conscious most of the time and then after that she'd only been able to call him and invite him over a few times without seeming to eager or desperate to see him.

Needless to say when he walked in the door all her inward chanting of "be cool" flew out the window and she pounced on him. The final weeks of summer had been a dramatic countdown till she'd be able to see him every day.

"Kohaku-kun! How are you? I missed you while you were away this summer. You have to tell me everything you did." Rin gushed.

"Rin-chan it's so nice to see you again. Training was alright though it took a while to get used to. After the accident though, training seems so…" He trailed off looking for the right words.

"Oh yeah, I'm sorry Kohaku-kun I shouldn't have brought it up." Rin said quickly feeling guilt crash over her.

"Don't worry about it, Rin. I'm fine now." Kohaku said flashing her a charming smile before slipping past her to take a seat.

Rin barely glanced up as their mutual friend Shippou sauntered into class with a mischievous grin on his face. Rin offered a small smile as the boys launched into tales of the summer but she preferred to just watch. A sad ghost of a smile flickered across her face as she watched Kohaku. He was smiling now but her memory was with the scared boy with tragic eyes that she had seen at the hospital. He'd seen some terrible things and she wished she could make them go away. When he'd first come home he didn't speak to anyone. He just stared out of the window. That's what made her feel so guilty about calling him to hang out during the summer. He was in no condition to hang out.

The few times she'd gone over hadn't actually been his idea at the beginning. Sango had said it was alright that she come over since he could use some company. Eventually he'd come around and started talking again but he never actually told her what happened. InuYasha was the one who finally told her that his and Sango's entire clan had been slaughtered before Kohaku's very eyes while he was at the village training. She'd asked him once if he was still going to join the battle team and he'd told her fighting really didn't hold any interest for him any longer. She hadn't asked him about it anymore after that.

She sighed remembering her own family's death. If Sesshomaru-sama hadn't taken her in, she would be all alone. A small smile touched her lips as she examined the background of her laptop; it was a picture of her sitting on Sesshomaru's shoulders when she was a lot younger. She giggled at the annoyed expression on Jaken's face since he'd been forced into the picture as well. She sighed wondering what her beloved Sesshomaru-sama was doing right now.

_**~English~**_

(Kouga)

Kouga gave an annoyed growl. Ayame had been glaring at the back of his head the entire lesson. She'd arrived chattering with the mutt. Her face had lit up into a smile upon seeing him until she noticed his arm thrown casually around Kagome's shoulders. InuYasha had growled at him telling him to take his arm off of Kagome and Ayame had begun her glaring. Kouga had been content to glare at the insolent pup and come back with a quick retort when Kagome bristled and told InuYasha to butt out because he wouldn't find Kikyou here. That didn't really make much sense but it did mean InuYasha and Kagome were fighting which was always a plus.

Kouga had been certain InuYasha would start a fight over it but the teacher had swept in fussing about the class not being seated even ten minutes after the bell rang. InuYasha had barked a short response about the teacher's tardiness and landed himself the first detention of the year. Rolling his eyes and muttering about the incompetence of new teachers, InuYasha had stalked to his usual seat in the back row and taken up glaring at the pair in the front row along with Ayame.

'_Well if they're fighting and InuYasha's got detention after school today then I don't have to deal with him if I take Kagome out after school.'_ Kouga grinned.

He stretched now, yawning as the bell rang and looped an arm around Kagome's shoulders again. "What do you have next? I'll walk you to class."

"I'll get there just fine; shouldn't you be finding your fiancée?"Kagome laughed, ducking from under his arm.

"Aw who cares, she'll find her way. Let's go Kagome." Kouga insisted, wrapping a loose arm around her waist.

"You coming Miroku?" She called back.

Kouga gave an annoyed sigh having forgotten about the new kid.

"Actually, I do believe this is where we part ways dear Kagome. It's off to Chemistry for me." Miroku said.

"Alright then, I'll see you at lunch I hope." Kagome said with a wave.

"Yeah, I'll see you. It was nice meeting you and Kouga today." Miroku said as he waved good-bye.

'_Good he's leaving.'_ Kouga thought as he gave the kid a curt nod then prodded Kagome out of the doorway. He had no desire to keep standing around until InuYasha came to start shit.

"So Kagome. What are you doing after school today?" Kouga asked.

_**~Frustrations~**_

(Kikyou)

"Look Renkotsu, it's simple, girls as hot as me don't talk to boys as lame as you now get away from me." Kikyou snapped.

"Ooo, burn!" Bankotsu laughed at his older brother.

"Shut up, idiot!" Renkotsu snapped hitting Bankotsu across the back of the head.

"Kami, boys are idiots." Kikyou sighed as she pushed past the two jostling brothers and sat down between Kagura and Kaguya.

"For real." Kaguya agreed.

"Not all boys are." Kagura murmured.

"Name one who's not an idiot." Kikyou ordered.

"Sesshomaru, he's a very level headed and prestigious demon." Kagura said.

"Mmhmm, he's certainly the most classy guy in this school." Kaguya added.

"He doesn't count. He's a daiyoukai." Kikyou said.

"Whatever Kikyou." Kagura said logging on to her laptop.

Kikyou glared at her friend but then rolled her eyes and turned her focus onto her own laptop as Kaguya pulled out her compact mirror and began to reapply her make-up.

N: Good morning Kikyou.

It was hard to keep the scowl off her face as her online stalker, Naraku decided to ruin her perfect morning.

K:Naraku.

N: Did you have a lovely summer?

K: What do you want?

N: Always so direct.

K: Say what you want or I'm closing this box.

N: That's not very kind after all I'm only contacting you concerning your own best interests.

K: Meaning?

N: Your half-breed has been straying Kikyo.

Kikyou glared at the computer then quickly looked side to side to be sure Kagura and Kaguya weren't reading her message. To be on the safe side she shut down the chat and pulled out her cell phone instead to chat on.

K: What are you talking about?

N: Have you checked your email lately?

She tapped a few keys on her laptop and pulled up her email in a small box. She quickly found the message from Naraku and opened it.

'_Enju.'_ She thought sourly. _'Damn those battle team sluts.'_ She closed the picture and flipped open her phone again.

K: I honestly don't care. InuYasha can die and I wouldn't even notice.

N: That's a lie.

K: Screw you.

N: We'll save that for a later date.

K: You're an ass.

N: That may or may not be true but that's beside the point.

K: There's a point.

N: Yes. That picture will be all over school in a matter of minutes if you don't do as I say. Won't that be embarrassing, everyone knowing you couldn't hold on to one of the most popular guys in school and a half-breed at that. They'll know that you're slipping up Kikyou. You're not as hot as you think you are. This picture will kill your social status.

Kikyou's eyes narrowed as she read his response. She balled one fist under the table in frustration.

K: Oh please, I'm not going to lose him. InuYasha follows me around like a lost puppy. My social status had nothing to do with that insolent pup because FYI I am just that hot!

N: If I send these pictures around school, everyone will know you couldn't hang on to him and that you lost him to someone as dull as Enju and we all know she is nothing compared to you but of course it would be simple for him to make her the new It girl of the school and you'll be nothing but a distant memory.

Kikyou wanted to scream. It was so frustrating how difficult it was to stay on top in a school so addicted to gossip. She hated that she was slightly worried that Naraku might be right. She would graduate at the end of the year and then would she be irrelevant? Would InuYasha replace her without a second thought? Would her name even be remembered? She had taken first place with Sesshomaru at districts for the last two years but most people attributed their immense success to him. Her only real claim to fame was that she was rich, super hot, and had the hottest boyfriend. Naraku might be right but there was no way in hell she was going to let him know that she knew it.

K: Kami, you're obnoxious. What's this ominous task you want done anyway? I'm sure it's just as stupid as you are.

N: My request is simple and for the common good. Keep the mutt away from Enju. I don't want him so close to the battle team captain. She needs to stop playing favorites. And also, give the taijiya hell when I'm not.

K: You couldn't have just asked me that without your stupid little threats?

N: That wouldn't be as much fun.

K: Fine, whatever. I'll take care of the losers.

N: Good girl.

K: Don't patronize me.

She glared at her phone waiting for a response and finally gave up when he said nothing else. She threw her phone angrily into her purse and pulled up the Calc 4 program on her laptop. _'Kami, I hate high school.'_

_**~AP Chemistry~**_

(Miroku)

Miroku strolled leisurely down the hallway occasionally glancing at his watch to make sure he still had time before class. He was making a mental list of all the pretty girls in school. Not surprisingly, it was much more difficult to find an ugly girl as this school was every male's fantasy. _'Literally with those uniforms…'_ Miroku smirked. _'Now to engage one in conversation.'_

He was just approaching a group of girls when the warning bell rang. _'The hell?'_ He glanced at his watch again. _'Damn, did more staring than socializing.'_ He sighed and turned back towards his next class. He grinned at the small cluster of human girls that were giggle and checking him out. He was debating talking to them and claiming he'd gotten lost trying to find the classroom when a teacher came out and began ordering students to their respective classrooms. _'Well them checking me out is a start.'_

Upon reaching his class, he couldn't contain the low whistle as he admired all the gleaming technology and sparkling glass. A more wolfish whistle came from his as his eyes caught sight of the temptress from this morning.

A smile danced across his lips as she read something from her laptop. _'Well, hello again my love!'_ Mirokou grinned. _'This class just got ten times better.'_ He thought striding over and seating himself next to her.

"Well hello again, lovely Sango. Fancy meeting you here." He said with a smile.

She stiffened then slowly as if dreading confirmation by sight turned to face him. "Oh Kami, not you again."

"And why ever not? We had such a connection this morning."

"The only connection between us is going to be my fist and your face." She snapped.

"A feisty girl, I like that."

"Uck, why you?!"

"Settle down! Settle down class. Welcome to advanced placement chemistry. It is my understanding that you signed up for this class and therefore want to be here and since you sat next to them you must be friends with them. Take a look at the person beside you and say hello to your lab partner. If you're alone, pair up this will be your partner for the rest of the year. Now open your drawers and start labeling your equipment." The teacher announced before turning to the board and writing a list of all the equipment they should have at their lab stations.

"You've got to be kidding me." Sango muttered.

"Nope, looks like you're stuck with me, my sweet." He grinned, laying his arm across her shoulders.

He couldn't help but laugh. She was even more adorable glaring the way she currently was.

"Ow!" Miroku yelped as she grabbed his wrist and twisted. _'Cute but vicious.'_

"Touch me again and I'll rip your arm off completely." Sango growled.

A soft jingling note from her laptop drew her attention away from threatening him further. Miroku tried to sit patiently as she pulled up her messages but curiosity got the better of him. He casually leaned closer to peer over her shoulder.

I: I've got detention tonight. We'll have to reschedule.

S: How did you manage to get detention on the first day, InuYasha?

I: Wasn't my fault. The teacher was a douche.

S: Or maybe you were being a baka.

I: that hurts and here I thought you loved me.

S: Of course I do but I know what a foul tempered

Her head snapped up mid message and she whipped around to glare at Miroku.

"What the hell are you doing?" She demanded.

'_Uh oh.'_ Miroku thought clearing his throat and grasping for the perfect excuse. "Er…"

There was no time to answer as she promptly smacked him.

"You really do have a death wish, don't you?" She growled.

Miroku ignored the question thinking back to his last class and remembering a silver haired hanyou who had gotten detention. _'And I'm pretty sure his name was InuYasha.'_

"Is that your battle partner?" Miroku asked gesturing towards the screen.

"Yes." She said curtly.

"Tall, silver haired?" He inquired.

"Are you stalking me?" She asked dryly.

"No, he's in my last class…So that's your boyfriend?" Miroku asked raising an eyebrow as she looked indignant and opened her mouth to say something then hesitated and decided against it because she just closed her laptop and yanked open their lab drawer.

'_Hmmm, she must not want me to fight him is all. It's far too late for that now. I must challenge him.'_ Miroku smiled, humming to himself as he began to help her with the lab equipment.

"We're missing one of our beakers." She stated before he could even get in the drawer.

"So…"

"So go and ask the teacher what we're supposed to do to get another one." She snapped.

"Okey dokey." He said with a big smile. "Be right back my sweet."

"Stop calling me that." She shouted as he walked away.

He made it to the front desk and was directed to go to the back room and ask the lab assistant for another beaker. He walked into the back room and was surprised to see the back of a head covered in long silver hair.

"Um…InuYasha?" Miroku asked.

"What did you call me weakling?" Sesshomaru growled turning around.

"Oh! Sorry. I thought…because of the hair…you were, um, InuYasha…" Miroku stuttered staring at the less than friendly looking demon before him. Miroku gulped edging back a bit. "Er sorry about that."

He was trying desperately not to cower under the demon's scrutinizing look.

"Do I look remotely similar to that pathetic excuse for a life form, InuYasha? Who are you?" Sesshomaru snarled.

Miroku chose not to answer the question about looks. Seeing this demon's face there was no resemblance but he'd first seen him from behind it wasn't really fair.

"My name is Miroku and, um, well he may be weak to you since you're a demon too but he seems rather deadly to a guy like me even though I have to fight him."

"Over something trivial I'm sure that half-breed is always losing his temper over stupid things. He's such a disgrace to the family." Sesshomaru said the annoyance in his voice clear.

"Oh, so you're related. I mean I had guessed that but I wasn't sure since you were so offended. He seems awful grumpy…that must suck having to live together." Miroku rambled trying to make conversation with the chilling demon. He honestly didn't know what else to do. He had completely forgotten about the beaker in his original terror.

"It's unfortunate…but he is only a half-brother." Sesshomaru responded.

Miroku nodded watching the demon cautiously. He was still scared but the demon had yet to take his head off so he was hopefully in the clear of losing his life for his earlier mistake. Now he was trying to look for the advantages of this meeting. This guy was the brother of Sango's boyfriend. Maybe he knew something about Sango. _'I think I'll find out a little more about him before asking about Sango, just in case he has any ties to her.'_

"Oh, well that's, um, good? You're only…half…related, I suppose." Miroku stuttered still somewhat at a loss for words. He hadn't really thought about what he should ask now that the demon was just staring at him like he was an idiot. He squirmed under his gaze and made his shoes squeak on the impeccably clean floors. "So…um…are you on the battle team?"

He froze as the demon growled at him.

"I hate that noise," Sesshomaru hissed. "And of course I'm on the battle team. I'm the number one male spot."

"Oh, er, sorry." Miroku stopped fidgeting at once and tried to think of something to say. This demon's responses were so short and to the point it didn't leave much room for questions and his aura wasn't very inviting. "So, um, who else is good?"

Miroku knew the order of the top spots for the last three years but he wanted to hear this demons opinion on the arrangement.

"Besides me? Only a few others. Why do you ask? Are you planning on joining, human?" Sesshomaru asked, his gold eyes flashing as he looked over Miroku's frame.

"Well yeah, actually. I do hope to join." Miroku grinned. "I've been working on my skills all summer and I have to say I'm crazy good."

The demon snorted.

"FOR GOODNESS SAKE'S MIROKU DID YOU GET LOST OR SOMETHING?" Sango shouted as she appeared in the doorway of the backroom.

"Is it necessary to shout taijiya?" Sesshomaru asked.

"Oh, Sesshomaru-sama. I'm sorry. I didn't know you were the labbie." Sango apologized.

"Now you do." He said curtly.

"We're missing a beaker." She explained.

"The extras are over there. Get one and get out, take the chatty kid with you." Sesshomaru said.

"Um…I don't mind if you'd rather kill him." She said hopefully.

"Well that's not very nice at all." Miroku cut in edging away from the demon who was now eyeing him thoughtfully.

"We could make it look like an accident." Sango offered. "I'll take care of the body."

"What are you doing?" Miroku whispered in her ear as he'd finally reached her side.

"Getting rid of you." She whispered back.

"But I'm delightful." Miroku pouted.

"Hardly." Sango said.

"Get your beaker taijiya I have a lot of work to do and it would be much more pleasant without you two jabbering on over there. If that kid's a problem let InuYasha take care of him. I could care less about your issues." Sesshomaru snapped.

"Thank you. Thank you so much." Miroku breathed as he backed out of the backroom leaving her in there. _'That girl is evil.'_ He thought. _'Crazy, evil, beautiful.'_


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

**~Making Friends~**

(Kagome)

S: So where do you want to go for lunch?

KH: Anywhere that InuYasha is not.

S: Since when are you guys fighting?

Kagome sighed. Sango was her best friend, she should be able to tell her what was wrong but she just couldn't. Kagome hated to be the reason the dream team was fighting. Thinking quickly she came up with an excuse.

KH: We're not…it's just my sister will be with him. And you know how Kikyou is…

S: Yeah, you're right. Let's just pick something up and eat on the steps.

KH: Sounds good.

Kagome breathed a sigh of relief. Kikyou and InuYasha wouldn't be anywhere near them since Kikyou liked to go to the lounge or a café for lunch. She hit a few keys to pull up her email and let Eri and her other friends know that they should grab lunch and then meet on the steps for lunch.

Kagome was so glad that they didn't have to stay at the school for lunch, some kids did stay but it was so nice to be able to get out for an hour and walk around. It made going to school on such a beautiful day, slightly less miserable.

Kagome glanced over her shoulder at the new girl, Ayame. The wolf girl was busily sketching an idea for her landscape. Glancing at the clock, Kagome made a quick decision to invite her to lunch. Sliding off of her stool, Kagome walked over to the girl and sat next to her.

"Hi." Kagome said cheerily. "My name's Kagome."

The other girl blinked at her for a moment and then offered a cautious hand to shake.

"Ayame." She said.

"You're new here right." Kagome smiled.

"Yes…" Ayame nodded keeping her facial expression guarded.

"Well…we get an hour for lunch after this if you'd like to come eat with me and my friends." Kagome offered with a huge smile.

Ayame bit her lips while she thought over the offer. Kagome felt her smile falter a bit. Why didn't this girl want to be her friend?

"It's just I should probably find Kouga…" Ayame started.

"Oh!" Kagome gasped as she suddenly remembered. _'Kouga's fiancée.'_ Kagome suddenly felt terrible. Of course, Ayame wouldn't automatically want to be her friend, Kouga had blown her off earlier to walk Kagome to class.

"Oh, Ayame. I'm so sorry. You must think I'm terrible. Please let me explain. It's nothing really. So not a big deal. I was mad at InuYasha and I wanted to make him a little bit jealous and I didn't even think about it. You must hate me. I feel so terrible. Please come to lunch and let me make it up to you. Say you'll come." Kagome blabbered.

Ayame's face was full of alarm as Kagome suddenly couldn't stop her mouth.

"What are you talking about?" Ayame asked.

"Kouga…You're mad at me about Kouga, aren't you?" Kagome explained.

"No…not mad…I guess I understand, kind of… I suppose I should have expected him to have a girlfriend." Ayame mumbled.

"I'm not Kouga's girlfriend." Kagome laughed.

"But he said…" Ayame started.

"No, no." Kagome giggled shaking her head. "I mean, we've been out a few times but I like InuYasha, which is completely hopeless since he's crazy about my sister but what can I say…"

"Wait! You're not dating Kouga?" Ayame frowned.

"No…he's got this crazy crush on me but he'll totally get over it. You're way prettier than I am and I don't like him that way anyway so… Hey! I can help you. I can help you make Kouga like you...I can totally talk you up and stuff, if you want me to. And Sango can help. She knows all about guys, she hangs out with them all the time. She can tell you all sorts of stuff guys are interested in. She's like the coolest, you'll love her." Kagome was off on another tangent.

Thankfully, Ayame was smiling at her this time.

"Really? Thank you. That'd be great." Ayame grinned.

"Great. So we're friends? We can be friends now?" Kagome asked excitedly.

"Of course. Sorry, if I came off kind of hostile." Ayame apologized.

"No problem. Yay, this is so exciting. I get to play match maker. We can start at lunch. Oh my God, I have to go email the girls and tell them to bring ideas. This is going to be so much fun." Kagome squealed rushing back to her computer.

_**~Boys Will Be Boys~**_

(Enju)

"EAT IT MUTT!" Kouga shouted as he launched another attack on InuYasha.

"SCREW YOU WOLF!" InuYasha shouted, dodging then rushing forward to punch Kouga in the face.

Enju sighed and turned her back on the two. _'Pathetic.'_ It was the same way every year. Those two fought over Kagome, sports, grades, any and everything on the planet. No one bothered to break up the fights any more. They just let the boys tire themselves out.

"Tell me, they're not fighting over that Kagome girl again this year." Jakotsu sighed as he plopped down next to where Enju was stretching.

"I wish I could." Enju said with an apologetic shrug.

"Oh Kami, I just don't get it. I mean really, what does she have that I don't?" Jakotsu pouted.

"Well you know, a rack, for starters." Suikotsu grinned as he dropped down beside his brother. "I'm just sayin'."

"He's got a point." Enju grinned.

"Hmph." Jakotsu snorted tossing his head to the side and flicking his hair out of his face. "Well clearly, neither of them is making any progress with her otherwise they wouldn't still be fighting over her."

"I don't think it's that simple." Enju shrugged.

"Well it should be." Jakotsu simpered.

"Even if she did choose, you still don't stand a chance bro. They're straight." Suikotsu said.

"Shut up Suikotsu. I don't see you making any progress with Kikyou." Jakotsu snapped.

"What's Kikyou got to do with this?" Suikotsu blushed.

"Oh dear…not you too?" Enju frowned.

"Not me too, what? Shut up…both of you." Suikotsu said. "Aren't we supposed to be working on our battle techniques or something?"

"He gets so embarrassed." Jakotsu laughed.

_**~Elitism~**_

(Kagura)

Kagura watched Kikyou tap her shiny red nails against the desk top impatiently. Something was really ticking her off which was probably going to be unfortunate for Kagura because when Kikyou was in a bad mood, everyone had to be in a bad mood.

Kagura's eyes moved back to the screen in front of her. _'Why the hell do we have to take Calc 4 anyway?'_ She sighed before filling in the last answers on their first day pop quiz. Their teacher had wasted no time in letting them know that she was the devil incarnate. Thankfully there were only ten minutes left of class and then she'd be free to roam for an hour.

Wind: So what are you doing for lunch?

Sessh: I'm picking up Rin for lunch.

Wind: You'll be late getting back.

Sessh: No, I have a free period after lunch.

Wind: Oh, that's cool.

Sessh: I guess.

Kagura tapped her fingers against the desk top trying to think of something witty to say. It was so hard to think of things that might impress Sesshomaru. He was impossible to read.

"You talkin' to Sessh?" Bankotsu asked, leaning over her shoulder.

"Get away from me." Kagura growled.

"Touchy, touchy." Bankotsu grinned. "If you weren't such a bitch I might help you score with him."

"Like I need your help, loser." Kagura scoffed.

"You know, hating his best friend isn't scoring you any points." Bankotsu smirked.

"Who says I'm trying to score point?" Kagura sniffed.

"Whatever, Kagura." Bankotsu shrugged, leaning away from her.

Kagura rolled her eyes and shut down her laptop hoping to make sure he'd stay away.

"So where are you girls going to lunch?" Bankotsu grinned, directing the question at Kikyou who would obviously be the one making the decision.

"Anywhere, you're not." Kikyou smirked.

"Cold blooded. What's with you girls today?" Bankotsu asked.

"It's nothing personal. I just need the girls to focus. We have to finalize the plans for my annual back to school party and you're nothing but a distraction and you know it." Kikyou grinned.

"Ah, your annual fall bash." Bankotsu grinned.

"Precisely." Kikyou quipped.

"Well then, I'd hate to stand in the way of a good party. After all, there's always a great lay in the bunch. Invite a couple of freshmen for me. I swear they're stupider this year which is exactly the way I like 'em." Bankotsu said winking at Kaguya.

"You're a pig." Kaguya snapped as a blush lit up her face.

"But I'm also dead sexy. Later girls." Bankotsu grinned and gave a little wave before exiting the room just seconds before the bell rang.

"He thinks he's such a bad ass." Kagura snarled, rolling her eyes.

"He kind of is." Kaguya shrugged.

"Ugh, don't encourage him." Kagura snapped.

"Sorry." Kaguya apologized.

"Girls focus. Find my boyfriend so we can go to lunch." Kikyou snapped.

With a roll of her eyes, Kagura followed Kikyou out of the classroom and let Kaguya deal with locating the hanyou.

_**~Beat 'em Off With a Stick~**_

(Sango)

Long brown locks swayed from side to side as Sango strolled leisurely through the hallway. It was lunch time so the building was far less crowded than usual. Opening her locker, Sango took off her uniform jacket and hung it on the rack since outside it was such a nice day. Shutting her locker, Sango nearly jumped out of her skin to see Miroku's grinning face where the door had once been.

"Good afternoon beloved." Miroku greeted.

"Why are you still following me? Go to lunch." Sango shouted. Usually, she wasn't prone to such outbursts but this kids was getting to be seriously annoying.

"You never told me your last name." Miroku grinned, seemingly unfazed by her exasperation.

"Why does it matter? It's not like you use my first name as it is." She asked with a frown.

"I'm just curious."

"Just call me Sango, okay?" She answered, beginning to walk away from him.

He sighed. "Fine…just Sango. I was wondering if you…what's with the death glare?"

"It means get away from me." She growled.

"Your glare is very sexy, smoldering actually." He grinned.

"Miroku?" Sango asked, stopping and turning to face him with a smile.

"Yes?" His voice was hopeful at the smile she gave him.

"If I could kill someone with just my mind, I would end you, understand?" She asked sweetly.

"You are just so beautiful."

"Argh!"

"Wait! Sango, don't leave!" Miroku called as he hurried to catch up with her.

"What do I have to do to get rid of you?" She sighed.

"Go on a date with me."

"Forget it."

"InuYasha would never have to know." Miroku grinned.

"What does he…" Sango trailed off as she remembered the fact that she had misled Miroku earlier when he'd asked if InuYasha was her boyfriend.

"Look Miroku, you seem like a nice guy but InuYasha would tear you to shreds so let's just not gamble with your life like that. I mean, you met his brother. They can be awful scary."

"I think you're worth it." Miroku murmured.

Sango paused. Despite how irritating this kid was the way he'd said that had been somewhat sweet especially since the look on his face told her he genuinely meant that. Sango sighed. She still didn't want to go out with this guy but perhaps she could be a bit less brutal with his feelings. It did take a lot of courage to ask someone out.

"Miroku-" She stared.

"SANGO! There you are." Kouga's voice came booming down the hallway.

'_Now what?'_ Sango cringed internally.

"Hi Kouga." She said with a smile.

"Just the girl I need to talk to. What's up new kid?" Kouga greeted. "You don't mind if I steal her do you? Great thanks."

Sango rolled her eyes, it wasn't like she or Miroku had really been given a choice. Her arm was caught in Kouga's grasp and she was now being hauled down the hall towards the front doors. This was good considering she needed to be getting to lunch and she had gotten away from Miroku but there was no telling what the wolf demon wanted.

"What can I do for you Kouga?" She asked.

"I need your help."

"With?" She implored.

"Kagome."

"With Kagome?"

"Yes. I'm taking her out tonight but you know that's not going to be enough to steal her from mu…er, InuYasha. I need your help." Kouga explained.

"And why should I help you?" Sango sighed.

"I'll treat her better than InuYasha ever has."

Sango nodded, that was certainly true.

"I don't know."

"You don't have to do anything really, just give me some pointers and let me know when I do stuff she likes so that I can keep doing it, ya'know."

Sango had to smile at the pleading look on his face.

"I really shouldn't be getting involved but fine. I'll help you with Kagome. But only because she needs to get over InuYasha."

"Yes! Thank you. You're the best." Kouga grinned and bounded away.

'_Finally, I can go to lunch.'_ Sango cheered internally.

_**~Male Bonding~**_

(InuYasha)

InuYasha yawned as he leaned against the lockers waiting for Kikyou to finish her makeup. She was taking her precious time primping in front of her locker mirror and he was hungry. They were going to try out some new sushi bar that had opened near the campus and he couldn't wait to begin inhaling his meal. He gave an irritated sigh, where the hell was Bankotsu? He was annoying as hell but he was better company than Kagura and Kaguya. InuYasha would take fighting with Bankotsu any day over listening to Kagura and Kaguya discuss who was in enough to come to Kikyou's annual fall bash and who was out.

He was getting ready to tell Kikyou he was going to leave her when a movement at the end of the hall caught his eye. _'Who's that? I know that kid, don't I?'_ InuYasha leaned forward trying to get a better look at the kid. _'Who the hell is that? I thought everyone would be gone by now?'_

"Hey, Kikyou, I'll be right back, okay?" InuYasha said.

"Fine, whatever, we'll just leave without you." Kikyou groused.

InuYasha gave her a 'what the hell' look and then decided it just wasn't worth the fight.

"I'll meet you there." He sighed, pushing up from the lockers and leaning in to give his girlfriend a kiss.

"Hey!" She snapped holding up a hand in front of her face. "Freshly applied lip gloss. Don't mess it up."

"You're kidding me." He muttered, turning to the side and pressing a kiss to her cheek instead.

"Love you." She grinned.

"Yeah, yeah love you too." He groused, bounding down the hall.

The kid had rounded the corner by now but it was easy for InuYasha to catch up.

"Hey you!" InuYasha called.

"Me?" Miroku asked, turning around.

"Yeah, I do know you. Miroku, right?" InuYasha asked.

"That's me." Miroku grinned.

"You were hanging out with Kagome this morning." InuYasha said.

"Yeah, you're Inu…uh, you got detention right? What's your name again?" Miroku asked.

"Yeah, first detention of the year." InuYasha laughed. "I'm InuYasha."

"Are you by any chance on the battle team?" Miroku asked.

"I am. Are you trying out?"

"For sure."

"That's cool. Have you started looking for a partner?" InuYasha asked. "Because that's really important. It's actually kind of make or break."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I mean, I'm good but without my partner, psh, the competition would just be brutal."

"That good, huh?" Miroku asked.

"Yeah, she is. Have you met her? Her name is Sango. She and Kagome are best friends."

"Er…I think Kagome pointed her out…"

InuYasha nodded, distractedly as his stomach reminded him that he was wasting time. He was going to say later to the kid in front of him when an idea struck him.

"Where are you going for lunch?" InuYasha asked.

"Uh, I don't really know the area so…"

"Great! Do you like sushi?" InuYasha grinned. He could use some male company since Bankotsu was nowhere to be found and Sesshomaru was checking up on Rin.

"Sushi's good." Miroku shrugged.

_**~Out in Public~**_

(Sesshomaru)

Sesshomaru stared at the sky enjoying the gentle breeze and the warmth of the sun though no one would ever know looking at the lethargic expression on his face. Rin's company was pleasant as usual but eating on the steps was annoying. There were too many people milling about having pointless conversations. It was twice as annoying having people stop and gawk at him every few seconds as they recognized him as the daimyo's heir.

His eyes drifted downward to a particularly chatty group of girls. He easily recognized the voice of Kikyou's younger sister, Kagome and her friends Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi. There was a girl he didn't recognize with them. She was clearly a wolf demon though unlike the irritating Kouga and his yappy friends this girl was rather quiet.

He listened briefly to their conversation before rolling his eyes at the stupidity of it. Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi were currently debating whether or not they were invited to Kikyou's party while Kagome was naming dresses the wolf girl should wear to catch Kouga's eye. _'Pathetic. Where is the slayer? Surely, she will bring a few brain cells to the group.'_ It was rare that the loud mouthed Higurashi girl was seen without her best friend.

Much like clockwork, Sango came hurrying up to the group.

"Sorry I'm late. I had to deal with stupid boys." She breathed as she dropped down next to Kagome.

"Have you met Ayame…" Kagome began to jabber.

Sesshomaru tuned them out again and refocused on Rin.

"Sesshomaru-sama?" Rin asked, leaning around him and squinting at the group of girls.

"Yes?"

"Is that Sango-san down there?" Rin asked.

"Yes."

"Can I go say hi?" Rin asked, hopefully.

Drawing the attention of those girls was the last thing Sesshomaru wanted but if Rin wanted to say hi…

"Go ahead."

"Thank you, Lord Sesshomaru. SANGO-SAN! SANGO-SAN!"

Sesshomaru held back a cringe as the girl began shouting and hopping down the steps. He still couldn't decide if he was disappointed or relieved that his ward so idolized the taijiya. She'd even expressed an interest in some weapons training in the future.

"Rin-chan! What are you doing here?" Sango smiled, getting up and making her way up the steps to meet the girl.

"I'm having lunch with Sesshomaru-sama. Would you like to join us?" Rin offered.

'_Say no.'_ Sesshomaru thought.

"Oh, I probably shouldn't. I promised Kagome I'd eat with her but another time, huh." Sango grinned.

'_Good.'_ He thought, reclining against the steps.

"Hey Sessh!" Bankotsu's voice broke into his calm.

"What are you doing here?" Sesshomaru drawled.

"Babe watching. I think I'm going to ask that fighter chick out. I'll take her to Kikyou's party. What do you think?" Bankotsu grinned.

"Really? We're back to this again?" Sesshomaru asked shaking his head.

"I guess I could take Kaguya but where's the fun in going out with a girl you've already screwed, right?"

"You better be planning to end this conversation before Rin gets back within earshot."

"Don't worry, I'm not going to poison the mind of your little girl. She will continue to grow up in her delusional world where guys aren't jerks with one thing on their mind."

"Good."

"What are you going to do when she wants to start dating?"

Sesshomaru just glowered at his friend.

_**~Young Love~**_

(Miroku)

Miroku couldn't believe his luck. He was currently sitting in a booth with the hottest girl in school her two gorgeous friends and InuYasha. The girls were busily planning what had been described to him as what was annually the hottest party of the year. And he was invited. InuYasha had told the girls to add his name to the list which was unbelievably awesome. The invite had made Miroku feel a tad less scornful towards the hanyou. InuYasha was a nice enough guy but he was clearly cheating on Sango with Kikyou.

Miroku paused to wonder if Sango knew about this. Was it wrong to use it to his advantage? After all, InuYasha had been pretty nice to him and given him instant access to the inner circle. Miroku chewed slowly savoring the delicious salmon roll currently in his mouth. He didn't want to stab InuYasha in the back by stealing his girl but Sango was his dream date and InuYasha was clearly hooking up with the hottest girl in school, surely he could let go of Sango. Nodding to himself, Miroku decided he needed to observe the situation further and then make his move. Sango had made a good point earlier about how scary InuYasha's brother was and he was pretty sure InuYasha's claws were just as dangerous.

"So who are you bringing to the party?" InuYasha asked.

"I can bring a date?" Miroku asked.

"Of course you can." InuYasha grinned.

"Only if she's A-list material." Kaguya cut in.

"Shut up Kaguya." InuYasha growled.

"InuYasha this is a very exclusive party we can't just let anyone show up." Kaguya argued.

"And I'm sure InuYasha's new friend knows that." Kikyou snapped to silence them both. "Don't you."

Miroku felt like a deer caught in the head lights as Kikyou turned her scrutinizing gaze onto him.

"Er, yes, of course." Mirokou stammer nervously. "I just, uh, I'm taking my time making my selection. Since I'm new and all. I still have to figure out who is available."

Miroku glanced sideways at InuYasha to see if there was any reaction. Kikyou had made it quite clear that she would be the feature on the hanyou's arm; did that mean Sango was free?

"Oh there are lots of pretty single girls. Kagura the list." Kikyou barked, snapping out her hand to get the guest list from her friend. "Take your pick."

Miroku had to admit he was intimidated by Kikyou, even when she smiled. Her smile made him feel even more like he was in the middle of a set up. He looked over the list nervously. This list was essentially everything he'd ever wanted but this still felt somewhat like a trick considering he couldn't match any names to faces. He scanned for Sango's name but didn't see it. He then scanned for the only other name he really knew and didn't find Kagome on the list either. He frowned, didn't Kagome say Kikyou was her sister earlier?

"Er, is it just assumed that Kagome is going?" He asked.

"Kagome?" Kaguya echoed.

"She's not invited." Kikyou stated matter of factly.

"Oh…" Miroku said. He didn't really know what else he was meant to say. He found it odd that Kikyou wouldn't invite her sister to her party.

"If you want to take her though. I'm sure Kikyou will let you." InuYasha shrugged.

"She's not invited InuYasha." Kikyou repeated.

"She's technically an A-lister or are you two not sisters?" InuYasha asked.

"Why does it matter so much to you?" Kikyou snapped.

"Um, I didn't mean to cause a fight. It's that big of a deal." Miroku said. His eyes darted between the two nervously as he could sense some underlying tension coming up.

"It doesn't matter I just don't get why she's not invited." InuYasha continued.

"Do you want me to invite her?" Kikyou scoffed.

"That'd be nice." InuYasha shrugged.

"Why?" Kikyou snapped.

"Cause she's fun. What's your deal Kikyou?" InuYasha snarled.

"And I'm not fun?" Kikyou shouted.

Miroku raised an eyebrow. Did Kikyou have some sort of inferiority complex where Kagome was concerned? That didn't make any sense considering she was easily the more beautiful of the two though it was clear who had the better personality. Luckily, boys weren't too concerned with a great personality. Though her obvious temper would explain why InuYasha was cheating on her with Sango. Did Kikyou know InuYasha was cheating but think it was with Kagome instead of Sango? That would make sense considering Kagome's earlier outburst about how much she liked InuYasha and how upset it made her when he ignored her.

"I didn't say that." InuYasha sighed.

"You're not, not saying it." Kikyou argued.

"You're fun Kikyou." InuYasha muttered.

"But not fun enough that you can't get through this party without Kagome there?" Kikyou declared accusingly.

'_I wonder if InuYasha pursued Sango first or if Sango pursued InuYasha. That would explain why she is so protective of him and their relationship. She's trying to liberate him from Kikyou. If I want a chance with Sango I'm going to have to find a way to keep InuYasha and Kikyou together.'_ Miroku thought as he watched the two fight.

"No, I just said you should invite her for Miroku's sake. They're friends and she's one of us." InuYasha explained in an exasperated tone.

"Fine!" Kikyou shouted.

"Fine, what?" InuYasha groused.

"She's invited." Kikyou sighed.

"Good." InuYasha said with a victorious smirk.

"But you cannot talk to her." Kikyou said with a smirk of her own.

A frown crossed Miroku's face. _'Wow. These rich girls don't play.'_

"What?" InuYsaha asked frowning.

"You heard me. She can come but don't talk to her or we're through InuYasha."

"Whatever Kikyou." InuYasha sighed going back to shoveling food in his mouth.

Miroku's face was fixed in a confused frown. He wasn't entirely sure what had just happened but now he in some ways felt obligated to ask Kagome to attend the party with him. _'Damnit. Does this mean Sango won't even be there?'_

"Er, I'm sorry." Miroku whispered to InuYasha.

"Don't be. Fighting is how we show affection." InuYasha joked.

_**~Games~**_

(Naraku)

A smirk crossed Naraku's face as he read over Kikyou's guest list. Every year Kagura saved a copy to her palm pilot and every year he hacked into it and made his adjustments. Even if his sister didn't make it so easy for him, Naraku would find a way to the guest list. Parties were his favorite thing.

As always, he added himself to the guest list. He hated to miss any soirée. All the best life ruining secrets came out there. He'd be able to lurk around the shadows in his monkey pelt and no one would be the wiser except maybe Kagura. She always caught up with him at some point in the party. He was certain she'd like to have him thrown out on most occasions but she also knew better than to test him. He could ruin her faster than anyone else.

A beeping from a monitor pulled Naraku's attention away from his musings. A smile danced across his face at what he saw. Someone, or rather two some ones, had just walked into one of his elevator traps. Swirling around in his chair to his computer monitor he pulled up the student list and did a search to match the faces to names and social status.

'_Ayame…wolf heiress…Miroku, ah, the taijiya's little boyfriend.'_ Naraku assessed with a smirk. Well this was just wonderful. The two new kids must be coming back from their orientation. He snorted. It was stupid. Kaede didn't hold a before school orientation for the new kids. She invited them to her office after lunch to see how their day is going, how they're settling in, and answer any questions they might have. Supposedly this meant they weren't patronized by information they already knew. Naraku thought they just needed to figure it out on their own.

'_You're going to be late to class. I hope Kaede told you what do to when the elevator malfunctions.'_ He laughed to himself as he hit a few keys and killed the elevator's power.

_**~New Friends~**_

(Miroku)

Miroku breathed a sigh of relief. He'd been lucky enough to excuse himself early from lunch so that he wasn't at risk of causing any more trouble between Kikyou and InuYasha. From there he had walked back to school and found his way to the headmistress's office. To his delight, a pretty young girl was already sitting there in a plush seat across from the empty headmistress's desk. He'd greeted her and they'd exchanged their views on the school so far once they had realized they were the two new students.

He was walking with her now enchanted by her bright green eyes and stunningly red hair that was held up in adorable pig tails. It was a shame she had moved here to meet her fiancé. Otherwise, Miroku would have definitely asked her to accompany him to lunch tomorrow since Sango was a work in progress.

He pressed the button for the elevator since that would be much faster than the stairs and they were both cutting it pretty close to be getting back to class.

"Well, I'm glad I met you." Ayame said as she and Miroku waited for the elevator. "The way things started with my fiancé I was thinking that no one would be nice here and everyone has been so far."

"It was excellent meeting you as well." Miroku grinned. "Might I ask, what did you say your fiancé's name was?"

"His name is Kouga. He's the heir to the wolf demon clan. My entire life has been geared towards being his wife." Ayame sighed dreamily.

"Isn't that a bit medieval though?" Miroku asked. "I mean it's great that you like him but what if you didn't? That would suck being in an arranged marriage."

"I suppose I never thought of that. I've been told he's really great and I'm sure he is. He seems great…just a little reluctant. He likes my new friend Kagome but she likes this guy InuYasha." Ayame explained.

"And InuYasha has two girlfriends." Miroku said somewhat in awe.

"What? I thought he was just dating Kikyou or at least that's what Kagome told me." Ayame gasped.

"Nope, I have it on good authority that he's dating this lovely young woman named Sango as well. She is everything my heart desires but she is quite stuck on him." Miroku said dejectedly.

"Really? Sango didn't seem the sort for cheating." Ayame mused.

"I don't think she knows." Miroku shrugged.

"Oh no. Someone should tell her." Ayame said with a frown as she entered the waiting elevator.

"You think?" Miroku asked, following her in.

"A girl should know what kind of guy she's with. Then again, I would hate to crush her. She seems like such a nice person." Ayame sighed sadly.

"I think she's pretty great." Miroku said leaning back against the wall.

"OH! You know what! We should help her and she'll never have to know. You like her don't you?"

"That I do." Miroku grinned.

"And you seem like a nice guy. What if we fix her up with you? That'll be a thank you to Kagome for helping me with Kouga by helping her best friend."

"That sounds great." Miroku smiled.

"Kagome's going to need someone though…" Ayame said beginning to pace.

Miroku was racking his brain for other guys he had met when suddenly the elevator went dead. He nearly fell over as the elevator shook from the abrupt stop.

"Huh? What just happened? Are you okay Ayame?" He asked looking around.

"Oh no." Ayame gasped taking a step back and bumping into Miroku.

"What's wrong? Are you hurt?" Miroku asked, gripping her shoulders and turning her to face him.

"No, not hurt, just scared." Ayame tried to laugh. "I hate small spaces, especially small dark spaces. I fell in a hole once when I was younger and was missing for hours before anyone found me. I haven't really been a fan of small dark spaces since."

"That sucks, I'm sorry. I'll get us out of here. Just stay still." Miroku said wrapping his arm around her waist to reminder her that he was there with her.

Leaning to the side he found the elevator buttons with his fingers and tried pressing them all hoping to reach the emergency button. It was dead too. _'Crap! Hmm, I wonder if we shout is there anyone around to hear us. I don't want to risk freaking out Ayame though.'_

He looked up at the escape hatch above the elevator. _'We could climb out but then what? I have no idea where in the school we are and no idea how close we are to an exit.'_

He was looking for another option when the elevator suddenly shot upwards he gave a shout of surprise as he fell over on top of Ayame. He was regaining his balance when the elevator jerked to a stop and his forehead collided harshly with hers. He groaned brining up a hand to rub his sore cranium.

"Er, sorry. Wasn't expecting that." He mumbled, attempting to get off of her when the elevator took off again plummeting downward.

Ayame yelped as they smacked foreheads again. He felt her arms go around his torso and her face pressed against his shoulder.

"Make it stop." She shouted into the fabric of his shirt.

His reply was cut off by the sudden stopping of the elevator and their hard crash to the floor as gravity reminded them that just because the elevator had stopped falling didn't mean they had.

'_Ow. What sort of demon school is this?'_ Miroku thought.

_**~A Little Crush~**_

(Kanna)

Kanna leaned back in her chair and tilted her head forward so that her bangs fell across her eyes. She had just come back from lunch and wanted nothing more than a quick nap to make her day. Unfortunately, school didn't factor in a nap time. She was currently in her history class and thanks to her psychotic brother, Naraku; she knew everything she needed to about Japan's history.

A rustling by her side drew her eyes up to see who dared to sit so close to her. Her eyes widened and a pale pink blush stained her cheeks as her eyes fell on Kohaku. Her reaction to his presence was absurd as always but it was always impossible to squelch her delight when in his company.

She hadn't been sure if he was coming back to school this year. Through all her brother's spying and scheming she had learned that Kohaku had been in a terrible accident over the summer. A part of her suspected her brother had something to do with it. She didn't ask, he didn't tell but it wouldn't be unlike him. Naraku wanted to destroy InuYasha which meant he had to destroy Sango. Kohaku and the demon slayer's village were Sango's entire world so it really wasn't a far stretch to believe her brother might have hired someone to see to it that something went terribly wrong.

A small feeling of gladness coursed through her that Kohaku had made it out alright. She would never speak out against her older siblings but she'd certainly be glad when they graduated and stopped meddling in other people's lives. _'The twins are so juvenile.'_ Kanna thought to herself. She loved them deeply and was intensely loyal to them but sometimes they were needlessly evil.

"Hi Kanna." Kohaku's voice broke into her thoughts. "How was your summer?"

"It was fine. Yours? There are a lot of rumors flying around about you." Kanna asked.

"It wasn't as big a deal as people are making it out to be." Kohaku murmured, his eyes downcast.

"Then we won't talk about it." Kanna said.

"Thanks." Kohaku grinned.

Kanna quickly turned her gaze away as the blush returned. She hated the butterflies that filled her stomach whenever he smiled. She did not have a crush on him. She refused to have a crush on him.

_**~Awkward Situations~**_

(Ayame)

Ayame didn't feel very well as she lay at the bottom of the elevator with a daze Miroku thrown across her. The elevator had finally stopped throwing them around but she was far to banged up to jump up and make her escape. From the sound of it, Miroku was feeling the same way. Since the elevator had stopped jumping around she'd let go of his neck and now had her hands pressed flat against the bottom of the elevator. She slowly began pushing herself up which roused the groggy monk on top of her.

He pressed one hand to his forehead and the other to the floor beginning to push himself up.

"With the exception of the rather risqué position we seem to have landed in, are you alright?" Miroku asked.

'_Huh?'_ Ayame's face lit up in a flaming red blush as she suddenly realized how they were sitting. Her skirt had flow up around her waist and he was currently between her legs, his arms on either side of her shoulders now that he had stopped rubbing his forehead. His face was so close to hers that with barely a tilt of her head she could be kissing him.

"I'm fine." She whispered, remembering his question.

"Good. I'll just…" He started to get up with the elevator chimed and the doors opened behind them.

Ayame had thought her face couldn't get any redder but it had. Right outside the doors was Sango and some other girl that she had never seen before.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? YOU CREEP!" Sango shouted grabbing Miroku by the collar and yanking him out of the elevator.

"Are you alright?" The other girl asked helping Ayame up.

"YOU HAVE A PROBLEM!" Sango was shouting at Miroku behind them.

"Ow! Wait! Sango! Let me explain." Miroku was running away trying to avoid being beaten to a bloody pulp by Sango.

"Er, it really isn't what it looks like." Ayame said to the girl in front of her.

"I'm sure it's not to you but he thinks he's some sort of player." The girl smiled. "It's in his favor that it gets beaten out of him day one. I'm Enju by the way."

"Hi. I'm Ayame. It's very nice to meet you." Ayame said with a bow. "I wouldn't advise the elevator though. We just got stuck and it kept flying up and down. It was scary."

"Hmm, I guess our hacker didn't graduate after all." Enju murmured.

"What was that?" Ayame asked.

"Er, nothing. Thanks for the tip. I'll take the stairs. Actually, you should come with me. You'll need a pass from Kaede for being late."


	5. Chapter 4

A/N: If anyone is interested in joining the RPG this story is based off of/coming from send me a PM. You'll be credited for any and all submissions. And thanks for the reviews.

* * *

**Chapter 4**

_**~Embarrassment~**_

(Ayame)

Ayame didn't believe she could get any redder or more flustered if she tried. Everything she had tried to say came out wrong and made the situation sound worse than it is.

"Nothing happened in the elevator with Miroku. We fell. That's it." Ayame half shouted in desperation. _'Oh crap, if I've ruined his chances with Sango, I'll never forgive myself.'_ "He's a good guy. He really is."

Enju was looking at her skeptically.

"You sure he didn't try to pull anything? He really fell?" Enju asked.

"Yes, yes. The elevator was going crazy." Ayame explained nodding enthusiastically.

"Alright. I suppose I have no reason to believe otherwise. It's not like you need to protect him." Enju shrugged. "Come on, Headmistress Kaede will get your passes forwarded."

_**~Sulking~**_

(Miroku)

Miroku slouched down in his seat. Sango was mad at him yet again and this time he'd been innocent. To make matters worse he was now sitting in the most pointless class possible. Everything else he'd wanted had been full so now he was stuck with a bunch of slackers in health.

"HEY TEACH'! Can we just bail and pretend we came?" Someone shouted from the back.

Miroku turned slightly to see a boy with long braided hair leaning on the back two legs of his chair and waving his hand widely at the teacher. Despite his current over eagerness this kid didn't look like the sort to be messed around with. From what Miroku could see he wasn't a youkai but there was something off about him. Besides InuYasha, this was the only other kid Miroku had seen out of uniform. Well on some level it probably was the uniform but it was ripped but in a rather fashionable manner. In fact, the sleeves were completely gone from his uniform showing off his biceps. _'Note to self, don't get on his bad side._' Miroku thought eyeing the kid's arms. He was wearing combat boots rather than the assigned dress shoes and he had a chain looped form his back to front pocket.

"No Bankotsu, you cannot 'bail' we've only been here fifteen minutes." The teacher said patiently.

"What about in another five?" Bankotsu asked hopefully.

"Turn on your laptops class." The teacher said as if he didn't hear Bankotsu at all.

"This blows." Bankotsu muttered.

'_Sure does.'_ Miroku thought pulling up the text for their first lesson.

_**~Winning~**_

(Kouga)

Kouga draped an arm across Kagome's shoulders as the chemistry teacher droned on with his intro lecture.

"Er, Kouga, should you really be doing that? Your fiancée is in this class?" Kagome asked for what seemed to be the thousandth time.

"Why do you keep bringing her up Kagome? I don't want to talk about her. Let's talk about our date tonight." Kouga said.

"Actually, I don't think I can make it. I, er, have other plans that I forgot about. I'm supposed to go with Sango…to buy something." Kagome said unconvincingly.

"I can escort you ladies to the mall if you like. I'll buy you something pretty. What do you think?" Kouga grinned.

"I really don't think that's a good idea. Why don't you buy Ayame something pretty? You should probably be saving Ayame a seat as well. Who will her lab partner be?" Kagome said squirming from under his arm.

"She can partner with the mutt." Kouga shrugged.

"InuYasha's not a mutt…and I was kind of hoping to work with InuYasha this year…" Kagome blushed.

"Why he's a lazy lab partner?" Kouga whined.

"I am not you wimpy wolf. Just shut the hell up. Come over here Kagome." InuYasha snapped.

"Don't order her around, mutt." Kouga snapped.

"I'm not ordering her around." InuYasha argued.

"Sounded like an order." Kouga said tauntingly.

"Can you two shut up?" Kagome growled.

"Is there a problem?" Totosai, their teacher, thundered making all three jump.

"Er, no, no problem." Kagome said shaking her head.

"Like hell there isn't. The wolf is partnernapping!" InuYasha snarled pointing a finger at Kouga.

"She wants to be my lab partner." Kouga snapped.

"Does not. She just said she wants to be my lab partner. So just get out of here." InuYasha argued.

"Gentlemen settle down or you'll be each other's lab partners." Totosai barked.

Kouga and InuYasha instantly shut up.

"Kagome'll work with Kouga." Totosai said.

"What the hell?" InuYasha shouted.

"In your face mutt!" Kouga laughed.

"Why does he get to work with her?" InuYasha demanded.

"Because you've essentially already got a partner. You think I'm just a senile old fool but I know you get the answers from Sango every year." Totosai snorted.

"That's complete crap. She's not here for labs." InuYasha complained, not bothering to deny his tendency to copy Sango's work or IM her questions he didn't feel like doing. She was reluctant to let him cheat but he usually found a way to persuade her into helping him.

"Well you're in luck. Ayame can work with you. WHY ARE YOU LATE GIRL?" Totosai's loud voice made everyone cringe.

"Er, didn't you get an email from Headmistress Kaede?" Ayame asked.

"Er…heh, talk to each other class. I have to check my email." Totosai mumbled before disappearing into his backroom to check his messages.

Kouga smirked as Ayame looked on either side of him for a saved seat. He felt a twinge of guilt as her face fell seeing no seat saved for her. Kagome's face held a sympathetic mask as she shrugged and gestured towards the seat across the aisle next to InuYasha. Kouga thought that was a fitting seat for his NOT fiancée. He nodded at her then threw his arm back over Kagome's shoulders. Kouga saw Ayame square her shoulders and march over to the seat before sitting down with a huff of annoyance.

"Ow!" He yelped as Kagome pinched his arm to make him release her. "Was that necessary?"

"You shouldn't be flirting with me when you have a fiancée." Kagome said.

"I already told you. She's not my fiancée." Kouga whined.

_**~Parents~**_

(Sesshomaru)

Sesshomaru's wore a frown on his face which was unusual for the young demon lord. However, his displeasure was so great that even he couldn't hide it. Fortunately no one was around to witness his displeasure. After taking Rin back to school he'd gone home for a bit where he was now going over his reply to his father's email. Jaken stood behind him nervously, dancing from foot to foot waiting for his master's displeasure to erupt.

'_Find a wife! What is the old man thinking?'_ Sesshomaru thought, a scowl coming to his face. _'I have no need or want of a wife.'_

"Put that away Jaken." Sesshomaru snarled.

Jaken gave a yelp of terror before dashing off to store the tiny ring box the daimyo had sent for his son to give away.

'_The company is what I want, not a wife. How will a woman help me run the company?'_ Sesshomaru began to pace in his fury.

Sesshomaru read over the email again and felt his temper flair again as once again he came across the last line:

_Find yourself a wife and be happy Sesshomaru. You needn't worry about the company until you've done that. Running a business is like taking care of a family. You still have a ways to go._

Sesshomaru grabbed the vase nearest him and threw it, mildly satisfied by the crash as it shattered against the wall.

'_What the hell have I been proving with Rin, then?'_ Sesshomaru thought angrily. He'd come to care greatly for his ward yes but his initial motives had everything to do with proving to his father that he was more than able to take care of a company. He was raising a child by himself why not build up the company. That ought to be trivial in comparison.

Sesshomaru couldn't begin to count the hours of community service and internships he had committed himself to, to gain his father's approval and yet none of it seemed to impress him. He sent emails expressing his pride in Sesshomaru's accomplishments and yet he still hadn't flown him to the family company's head quarters and begun to train him as a replacement. It was infuriating.

It was while working with a children's group that he had come across Rin. She'd been irritatingly loyal, following him around whenever he showed up. Her silence had been frustrating but in time she began to talk to him and seemingly only him. Someone in the group had written to his father commending his work, truly impressed by the "bond" he had formed with the once mute girl.

His father had come home for an hour to meet this little girl. His father had probably been joking when he'd said Sesshomaru could learn a thing or two about being a good leader from being a parent but Sesshomaru took that as a challenge. Rin was adopted the next day.

Since then, his father had kept in contact more. Sesshomaru received an email from the man every week asking about the girl. To InuYasha's great annoyance their father had flown home to celebrate one of Rin's birthdays while the two boys usually only received a late card and a sudden increase in their trust funds.

Deleting the email, Sesshomaru decided to ignore it. He sat back in a plush chair to brood for a bit. Then, despite knowing his own distaste for being in the public eye he flipped open his phone to text Kagura. His father hadn't specified when he needed to find a wife. Perhaps gracing the cover of a magazine or two with other teen royalty might win him some points. He could just imagine his father framing the cover of him walking into Kikyou's party with Kagura on his arm while his picture on the cover of _Entrepreneur Weekly_ merely got him "good job son" at the end of his father's emails.

Sessh: You going to Kikyou's party?

Wind: Of course.

Sessh: Pick you up at 8pm.

Wind: Sounds good.

Sesshomaru snapped his phone shut and got off of the couch. Kagura would do well enough to please his father. She was a demon and she belonged to one of the wealthiest families in Japan. Besides she didn't care for him any more than he cared for her. Like most others she had her own agenda but she was blessedly up front about it and that was why he tolerated her. He smirked, thinking back to the first day of high school when they met. She had sought him out specifically.

_**~flash back~**_

"_There you are. I've been looking all over for you." Kagura snapped. "And thank Kami you're attractive. That's so much more convenient."_

"_Do I know you?" Sesshomaru asked coldly._

"_No but you might as well get to know me." Kagura grinned._

"_And why is that?" He sneered._

"_I'm going to marry you." Kagura shrugged._

_Sesshomaru couldn't hold back the snort of laughter. This wasn't new. Women had been throwing themselves at him since he could remember. He was about to tell her to get lost when she cut him off._

"_Please." She sneered. "I'm not a part of your fan club. I have no intention of pretending to love you or to go out of my way to amuse you. You hate the act as much as I'd hate acting it out so let's cut to the chase. Nowadays it's all about money and power. You have both and in a greater abundance than I. So you'd better remember my name. It's Kagura of the wind. I'll be around but don't bother forgetting me because I won' forget you. I will marry into the Taisho clan and live a life of absolute luxury completely independent of my family. Understand?"_

"_You have quite an imagination." Sesshomaru said walking away from her._

"_And I'm just as stubborn as you are." She shouted after him._

_**~end flash back~**_

She had been right in some respects, she was convenient. He had no intention of marrying her anytime soon but the thought wasn't totally unappealing. He didn't love her but she'd take care of herself; in fact, she'd probably agree to live separately and he'd never have to see her except when he wanted her refreshing honesty. It was something to consider.

"Are you going to respond o your father's email milord?" Jaken asked nervously.

"Later Jaken." Sesshomaru said, before picking up his keys to head back to school.

_**~Confusion~**_

(InuYasha)

InuYasha eyed the girl beside him curiously.

"You alright?" He asked recognizing her from earlier in the morning.

"Fine I guess." Ayame sighed. "It's just he's blowing me off again for the same girl."

"Want me to take care of him for you?" InuYasha smirked and cracked his knuckles.

"No, I have a bit of help already." Ayame said gesturing towards Kagome.

"How's Kagome helping? Did she cancel her date with him or something?" InuYasha asked.

"Date?" Ayame frowned.

"Yeah, he's taking her out after school since I have detention." InuYasha said.

"You were planning to take Kagome out?" Ayame asked, her eyes going wide.

"I dunno. I didn't really have any plans besides getting some practice in with Sango but I figured we all hang out for a bit after school. Not that that's possible anymore." InuYasha sulked.

"Wow, you sure do get around, don't you?" Ayame whispered.

"What?" InuYasha frowned confused by her musing.

"Er, it's nothing. I just…you seem to 'hang out' with a lot of girls…how do they not fight when they're all together?" Ayame asked.

InuYasha's frown deepened in confusion. "Er…well, Sango and Kagome are best friends so they don't really fight. Enju, I don't know if you met her yet, but she's really chill so she doesn't fight with anyone. Kikyou's kind of temperamental so the other girls usually just keep their distance from her to begin with. I don't really hang out with Kaguya or Kagura but you know Kikyou shares everything with them so sometimes I have to pretend I care about them. Kikyou's my girlfriend so she always gets what she wants but I never forget my friends. My girls are special to me."

Ayame just blinked at him. "So you care about all of them?"

"Of course I do. I mean, Sango and Enju are clearly my best friends, or rather, Sango's my super best friend but the others are important to me too except Kagura and Kaguya. I'd really rather not have to deal with them." InuYasha explained.

Ayame opened her mouth to speak but then shook her head and began taking notes.

_**~Urge to Kill Rising~**_

(Kikyou)

Kikyou sighed internally seeing her sister's best friend enter the room. _'Great. Just who I wanted to see.' _She thought sarcastically. She was still mad at InuYasha for forcing her to invite Kagome to her party. _'Next thing I know he's going to want her there too.'_

She flipped her hair over her shoulder and peered at Kagura's voice as it buzzed quietly.

"Who is that?" Kikyou asked.

"Sesshomaru." Kagura said as she began typing her response.

"What does he want?" Kikyou snapped, annoyed that she had to ask.

"He's taking me to your party." Kagura said.

"What?" Kikyou hissed. "He never brings a date when he bothers to show up."

"Well I guess there's a first time for everything." Kagura shrugged, glancing down at her phone as it buzzed again.

Kikyou glared at her feeling a twinge of jealousy. _'How the hell did she manage to bag a date with the ice king?'_ She thought irritably. If he would act like he was available Kikyou probably would have dated him years ago but he was just so cold all the time. Whereas, InuYasha was so full of energy. He was so much work though. Kikyou felt like she had to work to keep his attention which was just wrong. She'd never worked a day in her life for anything but the affections of a hanyou. It was absurd.

Kikyou ground her teeth in irritation as yet another source of irritation entered the room reminding her that she was working for two hanyous. _'Damn you Naraku.'_ She'd almost forgotten she was being blackmailed.

"Alright, get into groups of, let's say five." The teacher said. "Let's brain storm some charities to write for. We're going to improve your persuasive essays."

"Excuse me. This is an AP Literature and Composition class, why are we working on persuasive essays? Shouldn't we be getting ready for exams so we don't have to go to cram school?" A girl in the corner asked.

"Ew, who goes to cram school?" Kaguya sneered.

"Seriously, don't you have your early acceptance to Tokyo U yet?" Kagura smirked.

"No one's been accepted yet." A boy up front said turning around.

"None of you peasants have anyway." Kaguya shrugged.

"So you've been accepted then?" The original girl asked incredulously.

"I have." Kikyou smirked. "If you're smart enough they start scouting you years in advance."

"Well, as many of you plan to be socialites I'm assuming you'll be hosting charity events. You'll need to be persuasive if you want donations. Group up." The teacher said cutting off all the chatter.

Kikyou rolled her eyes and sat up straighter in her chair making the list without the help of her two friends.

"What do you want?" Kagura's voice drew her attention.

"Let's pretend we get along for a brief second shall we?" Sango said sitting down across from the three girls. Enju sat beside her.

Kaguya opened her mouth to argue to Kikyou held up a hand to silence her.

"Fine but only because you two ought to be the experts in charity. You see girls, poor people have their uses." Kikyou said smiling sweetly.

"You are delightful as always Kikyou." Sango said tightly.

"Do you actually have a reason for hating us?" Enju asked.

"Are you sleeping with my boyfriend?" Kikyou asked without hesitation.

"NO!" Sango half shouted. She blushed then coughed. "Why would you think that?"

"Please, like I don't notice all the time you spend together." Kikyou snapped.

"They're battle partners. You spend a lot of time with Sesshomaru." Enju pointed out.

"Not really, we have natural talent." Kikyou grinned.

"Seriously, what does InuYasha see in you?" Sango asked.

"Beauty." Kikyou shrugged.

"And that's all." Sango muttered.

"What was that?" Kikyou snapped.

"Can we just brainstorm?" Enju asked.

"Fine but just remember. Keep your hands off my boyfriend." Kikyou said.

"That's really not a problem." Sango said.

"Good." Kikyou said flicking her hair out of her face.

_**~Monogamy is so Much Easier~**_

(Ayame)

Ayame's face lit up in a blush as she hurried into class late. _'This is so embarrassing.'_ She thought trying to slip in unnoticed.

"Well you're in luck. Ayame can work with you. WHY ARE YOU LATE GIRL?" The teacher's booming voice dashed hopes of slipping in without causing a stir.

"Er, didn't you get an email from Headmistress Kaede?" Ayame asked her face pale from embarrassment and fear that the headmistress hadn't believed her about the elevator. Enju had affirmed that she looked shook up while she was explaining. The headmistress had nodded and told her everything would be fine. Ayame had then waved goodbye to Enju and sprinted to class. Now to her horror she was being called out regardless. She prayed she wouldn't have to tell the elevator story in front of the entire class.

"Er…heh, talk to each other class. I have to check my email." The teacher mumbled before disappearing into his backroom to check his messages.

Ayame breathed a sigh of relief before turning to find a seat. She had this class with Kouga. A smile lit up her face as she looked for and then spotted him. To her disappointment she found he hadn't saved a seat for her. She sighed had she really expected him to save her a spot.

Kagome's friendly face wore a sympathetic look as she pointed next to InuYasha. Ayame had half hoped Kagome would switch her but Kouga just gave her a nod as if the issue was settled and draped his arm around Kagome. Ayame wanted to slap him and demand he treat her with the respect she deserved as his fiancée but he looked unmoved by her irritated face.

Instead she squared her shoulders and summed up all her pride before walking over to InuYasha and dropping onto her stool with an irritated huff.

She felt InuYasha watching her and a light blush began to form on her cheeks.

"You alright?" He asked.

"Fine I guess." Ayame sighed. "It's just he's blowing me off again for the same girl."

It was almost an exact repeat of this morning. She had hoped he'd be over the childish rudeness by now.

"Want me to take care of him for you?" InuYasha smirked and cracked his knuckles.

Ayame turned to respond and froze caught in InuYasha's golden gaze. _'Kami his eyes are intense.'_ And there was something oddly attractive about that devious smirk. _'It's no wonder he has so many girlfriends he's easy to fall for. Gorgeous and sweet…AND TOTALLY OFF LIMITS!'_ Ayame caught herself. She was here for Kouga and this guy had enough girl drama it would seem. _'I just don't understand. He doesn't seem like a jerk at all.'_

She averted her eyes and willed her cheeks to return to their normal color before answering.

"No, I have a bit of help already." Ayame replied pointing at Kagome.

"How's Kagome helping? Did she cancel her date with him or something?" InuYasha asked.

"Date?" Ayame frowned. Kagome hadn't said anything about going on a date with Kouga. She said they had gone on dates but…

'_Maybe she canceled. I didn't really meet her until lunch. She's really helping me, isn't she?'_ Ayame glanced at Kagome worriedly.

"Yeah, he's taking her out after school since I have detention." InuYasha said.

"You were planning to take Kagome out?" Ayame asked. She glanced at InuYasha with a raised eyebrow. Why did he sound so upset about that? Did he like Kagome too? How many girls was he juggling? Was she being recruited? _'Ah! What if he's only being nice to me because he thinks I'm one of those girls?'_

"I dunno. I didn't really have any plans besides getting some practice in with Sango but I figured we'd all hang out for a bit after school. Not that that's possible anymore." InuYasha sulked.

"Wow, you sure do get around, don't you?" Ayame murmured to herself.

"What?" InuYasha asked and Ayame flinched. He wasn't supposed to hear that.

"Er, it's nothing. I just…you seem to 'hang out' with a lot of girls…how do they not fight when they're all together?" Ayame asked trying to ask as diplomatically as possible. He didn't seem to see a problem with it. Was it socially acceptable around here to have more than one girlfriend? Maybe it was because he was one of the daimyo's heirs. Was it just understood that he had so many girlfriends?

She watched InuYasha's frown deepened. She couldn't help but think of how his confused look made him look more like a puppy. She half wondered if anyone ever pointed that out.

"Er…well, Sango and Kagome are best friends so they don't really fight. Enju, I don't know if you met her yet, but she's really chill so she doesn't fight with anyone. Kikyou's kind of temperamental so the other girls usually just keep their distance from her to begin with. I don't really hang out with Kaguya or Kagura but you know Kikyou shares everything with them so sometimes I have to pretend I care about them. Kikyou's my girlfriend so she always gets what she wants but I never forget my friends. My girls are special to me."

Ayame just blinked at him trying to process all of that. He had just named at least six girls. That was crazy. And that bit about sharing was more than she needed to know.

"So you care about all of them?" Ayame asked trying to understand.

"Of course I do. I mean, Sango and Enju are clearly my best friends, or rather, Sango's my super best friend but the others are important to me too except Kagura and Kaguya. I'd really rather not have to deal with them." InuYasha explained.

'_Whatever super best friend means. Can he really care about all those girls? And why is Kikyou so special? She's the only one he actually calls his girlfriend. Why does he give Kikyou whatever she wants?' _Ayame opened her mouth to ask him that when another thought struck her. _'He's got so many other girlfriends he could just pick a girl with friends he likes. Or a girl who doesn't make him share…ew, ew, ew! Done thinking now! Notes, must take notes!'_

_**~Story of My Life~**_

(Sango)

'_She is completely out of her mind.'_ Sango thought as she passed the girls completed list to the teacher and collected her things. She was overjoyed that the bell had finally rung. _'On some level she must be in love with him to be so crazy about him. That paranoia is going to kill her next year.'_

"I have a feeling they aren't going to survive the separation of college." Enju mused as if reading her mind.

"No way. Kikyou might show up to school shooting purifying arrows at everyone." Sango laughed.

"I wouldn't put it past her. It's almost sad how into him she is. He's a terrible boyfriend once you think about it." Enju said.

"He's a fine enough boyfriend. He just a guy and very indecisive." Sango said thinking about all the things InuYasha did for Kikyou. _'He does try to be good. If Kagome didn't have such an open crush on him he might be able to behave but what male can really resist a willing girl?'_

Enju was giving her a look.

"I'm not saying he's faultless. He is a flirt but a harmless one unlike that Miroku creep. If Kikyou weren't so hateful I'd probably smack him around for misbehaving for her but you can't completely blame the guy for looking for a little harmless affection." Sango laughed.

"He gets more than enough affection from us." Enju said.

"Which is the problem but if we weren't around he and Kagome would probably do something stupid." Sango said.

"You make an excellent point but they seem to have been fine over the summer while you were away and I was busy. There has yet to be a girl fight so…" Enju trailed off with a shrug.

"Don't say that." Sango laughed. "That's like saying InuYasha doesn't need us around as his conscience anymore."

"There will never be a day that InuYasha doesn't need us around as his conscience." Enju grinned.

The two girls stopped outside of Sango's next class.

"Oh joy!" Sango sighed peering into the room and seeing Kagura and Kikyou already sitting there. "I get two of the three for yet another hour."

"Isn't InuYasha in this class?" Enju asked.

"I think so." Sango groaned. _'I do not want to see them making out.'_

"Hey guys." Kagome's voice drew both their attention. "You guys have history now too?"

"Nope, study hall." Enju grinned.

"Thank Kami, you're in this class." Sango breathed, hugging her friend.

"Not to be ungrateful but why so happy?" Kagome asked.

Sango pointed into the classroom.

"Oh…this is going to be…fun." Kagome said trying to sound peppy.

"Well would you look at that. All my favorite girls in one place." InuYasha said, coming up between Sango and Kagome and draping his arms over their shoulders.

"Don't start, baka. One confrontation with your girlfriend is enough for the day." Sango said smacking his hand off of her shoulder.

"Once upon a time, she loved me." InuYasha told Kagome jokingly. Kagome rolled her eyes and then shimmied from under his arm.

"Let's try not to start the year with a fight, hmm?" Kagome said.

"What's to fight about?" InuYasha asked.

"Uh…things." Kagome said, shooting Sango a look.

Sango frowned confused. _'Things. What things besides Kikyou being a psycho which was nothing new?'_

'I'll tell you later.' Kagome mouthed.

Sango nodded.

"Well, I should get going." Enju said with a wave.

"See you later." The trio chorused before entering the room.

Sango took a seat in the corner opposite of Kikyou and Kagome sat with her. Sango raised an eyebrow when InuYasha dropped down beside her.

"What are you doing?" Sango asked.

"She's mad at me." InuYasha shrugged.

"And sitting with us is going to make her less mad?" Sango asked.

She watched InuYasha look at Kagome hesitantly.

"Probably not but it's best to give her space when she's angry." He said.

"What did you do?" Sango asked.

"I'll tell you later." He muttered before turning to his laptop.

Sango turned her head to Kagome.

"Well then you go." Sango said.

"Er…can't, later." Kagome said, jerking her head in InuYasha's direction.

'_What does she have to tell me that she can't say in front of InuYasha?'_ Sango thought.

"Well, would you look at that? The gang's all here." Kouga's voice drew everyone's attention.

'_Oh no! Now we're definitely not learning anything.' _Sango thought dropping her head down to bang gently against the desk. She could already hear the growl building up in InuYasha's throat. _'We're going to get a live re-enactment of every great war of Japan's history.'_

_**~Hello Again~**_

(Ayame)

Ayame blushed as she entered the library and saw Miroku sitting at a table alone reading a book. Glancing around she decided there wasn't much to study since it was the first day of school so she might as well socialize.

"Hi!" She chirped sitting across from him and trying to control the blush that came from the memories of the elevator. "How are you?"

"Battered and bruised but otherwise good." Miroku grinned.

"Why was Sango so angry?" Ayame asked.

"That is beyond me." Miroku murmured.

Ayame's eyes went wide as an idea came to her.

"OH MY GOSH MIROKU! She likes you!" Ayame practically shouted. "She has to like you otherwise her reaction doesn't make sense, does it? Oh this is so exciting."

"Er, I don't know that she likes me. I think she's just a feminist or something. She thought she was protecting you." Miroku said.

"Oh! Oh no, we have to clear your name." Ayame gasped. "But how?"

"I haven't the slightest clue." Miroku sighed.

"Hmm, you just wait. I'll get you two together somehow. I'll invite the girls over for a girl's night or something and we'll talk about boys and stuff and I'll find out what kind of guy she likes and then we could fix you up." Ayame gushed.

"You think that would work?" Miroku asked.

"Well it has to. InuYasha's a sweet guy and I can see why she fell for him but she deserves a guy that loves only her." Ayame said. "Every girl deserves someone just for her."

"But I think she thinks she's liberating him from Kikyou. Have you met Kikyou? She's scary." Miroku said. "She's really hot but super scary. In fact I think she's dangerously close to being over the line on the crazy to hotness scale."

Ayame blinked at him confused.

"The what?" She asked.

"Er, never mind. It's a guy thing." Miroku chuckled.

_**~Don't Let Me Get Me~**_

(Kagome)

Kagome breathed a sigh of relief she'd finally made her escape from the boys. It felt odd to be alone as she normally had someone to stroll down the hallway with. In some ways it was pleasant in others it worried her. She was alone with her thoughts, her confusion. InuYasha was throwing such mixed signals.

'_I ought to just give up.'_ She thought. _'But I can't. Maybe I should just ask Sango. She'll be angry with him and disappointed in me at first but things will work out. Then she can tell me what to do to fix things.'_

A flicker of silver in her peripheral vision caused he to glance up. A greeting was on the tip of her tongue but it died in her mouth as she caught sight of Sesshomaru. He did not look happy. He didn't express much emotion on the regular basis but today there was something about him that just screamed PISSED! It was terrifying. She like everyone else pressed against the lockers to stay out of his way.

'_I wonder what happened.'_ A part of her felt the need to go ask since he was InuYasha's older brother but in a rare instant the terror won out over compassion. She could be as nice as she wanted to be, Sesshomaru still just gave her the same blank stare until she went away. Kagome hadn't really thought anything of it until she saw him talking to Sango once. _'Is there something wrong with me that repels demons? No, it can't be that. Kouga likes me.'_

Another sigh. She was just venturing down the alley of depression when she spotted Sango and Enju outside of her next class and her heart lifted considerably.

"Hey guys." Kagome's called making them both turn in her direction. "You guys have history now too?"

"Nope, study hall." Enju grinned.

Kagome's smile faltered.

"Thank Kami, you're in this class." Sango breathed, hugging her friend. As quickly as it disappeared the smile reappeared. She wouldn't be alone. Then a confused frown etched its way onto her face.

"Not to be ungrateful but why so happy?" Kagome asked.

Sango pointed into the classroom. Kagome leaned around her and peered into the room. Her heart sank. _'Oh no, Kikyou.'_ Kagome bit her lip. She hated having classes with her sister. Kikyou always went out of her way to prove how much better she was. _'I really don't need an hour a day seeing how much prettier, and smarter, and faster, and cooler Kikyou is.'_ Kagome thought.

"Oh…this is going to be…fun." Kagome said trying not to let her friends here how upsetting the realization was to her. Now she'd have to hear about all of Kikyou's fabulous parties that she wasn't invited to. Kikyou would surely show off all the gifts InuYasha gave her and talk about their dates. It was going to be pure torture. _'Why can't she just graduate?'_

"Well would you look at that. All my favorite girls in one place." InuYasha said's voice snapped Kagome out of her thoughts. He came up between her and Sango and wrapped an arm around both their shoulders.

"Don't start, baka. One confrontation with your girlfriend is enough for the day." Sango said smacking his hand off of her shoulder. Kagome raised a questioning eyebrow at her friend.

"Once upon a time, she loved me." InuYasha joked. _'And I've loved you forever._' Kagome thought rolling her eyes and squirming from under his arm.

"Let's try not to start the year with a fight, hmm?" Kagome said, not wanting Kikyou to see. If Kikyou saw them together she would surely get suspicious and then she'd find out about this summer. If Kikyou found out about this summer both Kagome and InuYasha would be dead.

"What's to fight about?" InuYasha asked. Kagome's jaw dropped open. _'Is he serious? He couldn't have forgotten could he? Or does he just not view what happened as significant?'_ Snapping her mouth shut and shaking her head Kagome chose to ignore his oblivious act.

"Uh…things." Kagome mumbled, shooting Sango a look.

Kagome saw the confused frown crease Sango's forehead and decided she had to tell her.

'I'll tell you later.' Kagome mouthed. Sango nodded.

"Well, I should get going." Enju finally said with a wave.

"See you later." The trio chorused before entering the room. Kagome dragged her feet wanting to prolong the inevitable.

Thankfully Sango sat far away from Kikyou and Kagome took the very corner seat as far as she could get from her sister.

"What are you doing?" Sango's question made Kagome turn her head. To her surprise InuYasha was sitting down next to Sango.

"She's mad at me." InuYasha said softly.

"And sitting with us is going to make her less mad?" Sango asked. Kagome tilted her head listening closely for his response.

"Probably not but it's best to give her space when she's angry." He said. Kagome was surprised by how hurt she felt that he was only sitting with them so he wouldn't upset Kikyou further. _'Why is it always about Kikyou?!'_

"What did you do?" Sango asked.

"I'll tell you later." He muttered before turning to his laptop. _'I want to know now!'_Kagome thought willing Sango to force an answer out of him. Instead Sango turned to face Kagome.

"Well then you go." Sango said.

Kagome suffered a minor seizure. She couldn't tell her now. Not with InuYasha sitting so close with his super sensitive ears. He already knew of course but he was determined to pretend he didn't. She didn't need him listening in as she poured her heart out and her own stupidity. She hated herself a bit for not regretting anything that happened between them. She debated telling Sango via instant messenger or texting but InuYasha could easily read it over her shoulder and the servers weren't safe from Naraku. He'd blasted more than one person for being stupid enough to discuss private matters over the internet. _'It'll have to wait.'_ Kagome thought.

"Er…can't, later." Kagome said, jerking her head in InuYasha's direction to let Sango know why she couldn't talk. Sango gave her an understanding look before her attention was ripped away by yet another student arriving.

"Well, would you look at that? The gang's all here." Kouga's voice drew everyone's attention.

'_Oh boy. This class just got super interesting.'_ Kagome thought glancing at InuYasha. She wondered if he was going to hide his jealousy since Kikyou was there. _'Would it be wrong of me to flirt with Kouga just to see what InuYasha will do? I don't mean anything by it and Ayame's not in here.'_ Kagome bit her lip and glanced at Sango hoping she'd read her mind. Instead, Kagome found her friend face down against her desk.

"You okay?" Kagome asked.

"This class is going to be a nightmare." Sango's muffled voice came up to her.

It was impossible not to laugh.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

_**~Entitlement~**_

(Bankotsu)

"Hi there Mr. Frowny-face, what's got you so angry?" Bankotsu grinned as he slid into the open seat next to Sesshomaru. As usual he had his pick of seats but on the slightly odd note it seemed the other students were practically in each other's laps trying to sit as far away from Sesshomaru as possible. Bankotsu was unmoved by their obvious terror. _'More space for me.'_ He grinned putting his feet up in the chair in front of him and setting up his laptop.

He glanced at Sesshomaru's clearly unamused face and stifled a laugh. He took pride in the fact that he was probably the only person on the planet who could greet Sesshomaru with such a line and not get his face ripped off.

"Should I try guessing why you're so angry instead?" Bankotsu asked, leaning back with his hands behind his head.

"If you had any brains you'd know there's no one capable of actually pissing me off other than the daimyo." Sesshomaru growled.

"Daddy issues…that's hot on a chick." Bankotsu smiled.

Sesshomaru rolled his eyes.

"Are women seriously the only thing you think about?" Sesshomaru sighed.

"I think about sex a lot too or does that count in the women category?" Bankotsu asked sitting up in his chair.

"Shut up." Sesshomaru muttered, massaging his forehead.

"So what did the old dog have to say?" Bankotsu pressed on.

"He wants me to get married." Sesshomaru snarled.

"To who?" Bankotsu frowned.

"Apparently I get a choice in at least that matter." Sesshomaru said.

"Well then choose someone and get a divorce once you get the company or choose someone really hot and just have an affair when she's less hot." Bankotsu advised.

"Really, what are you going to do with your life? I hope you're not planning to give crap advice for a living." Sesshomaru smirked.

"I'll inherit my dad's company and then pay someone else to do all the work so I can go out and play." Bankotsu said with a wink.

"And you have no desire to do anything differently? You're content to just follow in your father's footsteps?"

"Well I don't plan to work as hard as he does. Unless partying counts as work. That's PR right?" Bankotsu shrugged.

Sesshomaru shook his head and turned look at his computer with a stony expression. Bankotsu frowned watching his friend. Sometimes he thought Sesshomaru took the future way too seriously. _'I hope I'm not like that when I'm a senior.'_ Bankotsu thought.

"I have no desire to be anything like that human loving fool who sired me." Sesshomaru's voice was so quiet Bankotsu almost didn't hear him but it was said with such conviction that Bankotsu had to pause before responding. Perhaps now wasn't the time to joke but what else could he do?

"Oh Sesshomaru." Bankotsu sighed dramatically. "Why can't you just enjoy your entitlement like everyone else? We were born to carry on a legacy not to forge a destiny of our own. We're entitled to a trust fund, fast cars, big houses, and absolutely no rules. So stop brooding and find yourself a girlfriend because you're also entitled to all the girls you want."

"It's fortunate your parents are dead otherwise they'd kill themselves over what an utter failure you are as a human being." Sesshomaru replied.

_**~Observing~**_

(Enju)

Enju swung her foot idly as she tried to focus on the forms in front of her. It was the first day of school so there wasn't much homework for her to do in study hall. She'd opted to get a head start on the battle team paperwork but she really hadn't gotten much done which was quite contrary to her usual work ethic. She found her attention was repeatedly drawn to the table where Miroku sat with Ayame.

The two had their heads bent together and had been whispering and giggling for most of the hour. _'Perhaps there is something going on between them after all.'_ Enju thought as she once again glanced at the pair. _'Ayame must have denied an interest in Miroku because she's engaged to Kouga and everyone thinks Miroku is a creep. It's a shame she's embarrassed about her crush. I wonder what Sango would think about all this.'_

E: It seems to me that despite his lecherous nature the new kid is quite fond of Ayame.

S: Fond as in groping fond or fond as in legit crush fond?

E: Looks pretty legit to me. They've been flirting since I got here.

Enju watched her screen patiently waiting for a response but frowned when quite a bit of time passed without a response.

E: Are you still there?

S: Yes, sorry. I got a bit distracted. I'm in the history class from hell, remember.

Enju chuckled to herself inwardly relieved that she was spared from such a grouping.

E: Perhaps we ought to help Miroku and Ayame along. He'd stop bothering you.

Enju waited out another long pause from her friend.

S: Ayame's engaged.

E: Kouga doesn't want to be engaged.

S: I don't really think they have a choice.

E: Then what's the harm in dating someone you like for the time you have? Plus you agreed to help Kouga with Kagome which means Ayame can't be after him all the time. It's a win, win.

S: I suppose you're right.

Enju was about to respond but the bell rang. Her eyes slid over to the pair that had been together all hour and she smiled to herself as she saw Miroku embrace Ayame. _'Nothing lecherous about that hug.' _Shutting her laptop, Enju made her way down to the gym to change and talk to her best friend face to face.

_**~Planning~**_

(Ayame)

"So are you going to Kikyou's party?" Miroku asked Ayame as the hour drew to a close.

"I hope so." Ayame sighed.

"You don't know yet?" Miroku continued.

"Well Kouga hasn't asked me yet." Ayame said with a shrug.

"I'm sure he will. He's your fiancé. Reluctant or not it's just tacky not to ask." Miroku said encouragingly.

"Are you going to ask Sango?" Ayame asked trying to change the subject.

She desperately hoped Kouga would ask her but how could she be sure now. Kagome was meant to be helping her but if she was going on a date with Kouga tonight how likely was it that she was going to tell him he needed to take Ayame to the party instead. She'd just have to buy a dress and hope for the best.

"I'm planning to. She obviously can't go with InuYasha. He'll be with Kikyou so she should be available. Hopefully I can really charm her at the party and she'll go out with me again." Miroku grinned.

"How are you planning to ask her?"

"I'm not quite sure yet. She's still a little angry with me so I figure I should give it a bit of time and then do some big romantic gesture. What do you think?" He asked.

"Sounds good to me. I'll try to find out if she has any particular way she'd like a guy to ask her out."

"Thanks Ayame." Mirokou said getting up and hugging the wolf girl as the bell rang.

Ayame smiled happily. She was so pleased to be able to help her new friend.

_**~Jealousy~**_

(Sango)

Sango sighed as she took notes on the first history lecture of the year. The class period was almost over and her page wasn't even half full. InuYasha and Kouga felt the need to keep interjecting comments or asking questions that led to a pointless argument that the teacher eventually had to end.

Similarly, Kagome had been trying to subtly get InuYasha's attention and failing had resorted to openly flirting with Kouga which is what started the arguments in the first place. Sango had to give the two credit though, if the feud between InuYasha and Kouga hadn't been going on for so long people would have surely thought they were talking about past wars within their country. They had carefully laced their own issues into those of the feuding war lords from the past.

For once Sango was beginning to see the value in taking a nap rather than paying attention. There was barely any educational value in listening today. She was just leaning back to indulge in InuYasha's favorite past time of not paying attention when a chat box popped up in the corner of her screen.

E: It seems to me that despite his lecherous nature the new kid is quite fond of Ayame.

Sango frowned instantly picturing the two in the elevator. _'Fond for all the wrong reasons, I'm sure.'_ However, it was Enju who was saying it. She had no reason to lie since she was just as suspicious of Miroku's playboy antics.

S: Fond as in groping fond or fond as in legit crush fond?

E: Looks pretty legit to me. They've been flirting since I got here.

Sango froze her jaw tightening. Her reaction surprised her though. Why did she care that he was flirting with another girl? It was foolish to think that maybe he'd been serious earlier with all his crap about her being special. He was probably using the same crap lines on Ayame. That poor girl was so naïve and obviously hurting from Kouga's rejection. It was wrong for Miroku to prey on the girl's obvious need for affection since Kouga was showing her none.

Sango slipped her hand over to Kagome's leg and give her friend a sharp pinch. Kagome jumped and turned wide confused eyes on her friend.

"Stop flirting with Kouga. He's engaged." Sango whispered hoping she was too quiet for Kouga or InuYasha to hear.

"I know. I know. It's just…" Kagome trailed off, gazing longingly at InuYasha.

"Just give him up Kagome. He's not right for you." Sango sighed.

"You don't understand. You've never been in love." Kagome whined.

"And I'm also not the one pining for a dog." Sango said harshly.

Kagome's face crinkled into a shamed look and Sango instantly felt guilty. She was taking out her irritation at Miroku on Kagome and that wasn't fair.

"I'm sorry Kagome. I just think you can do better. If you want Kouga then go all in but don't play games. That's what gets people hurt." Sango advised.

"But you just said…" Kagome's words were tuned out as Sango's eyes were drawn back to her screen where Enju had apparently been waiting for a response.

E: Are you still there?

S: Yes, sorry. I got a bit distracted. I'm in the history class from hell, remember.

Sango bit her lip that was kind of true. Her distraction had been people in the class but she'd only gotten distracted because she was dealing with the unwanted feelings that came from hearing that Miroku was flirting with another girl.

E: Perhaps we ought to help Miroku and Ayame along. He'd stop bothering you.

Sango froze. That was what she wanted wasn't it? She didn't want Miroku following her around. He was a creep and a lecher. Her eyes slid sideways to InuYasha to be sure he wasn't peeking at her screen. He was too busy arguing with Kouga about something.

Sango chewed absently on her bottom lip trying to decide what it was she wanted. Was it really possible that she a crush on the idiot? No. Was it possible that she might be developing a crush on him? She sighed. He'd really gotten to her with his pretty words and charming personality but she had to face reality. He wasn't her type. He was the sort of guy who made you crazy with paranoia that he was cheating and she didn't need that type of foolishness in her life. She didn't want to end up like Kikyou. The girl was raving mad trying to keep up with all of InuYasha's indiscretions. _'If that's what it's like to be in a couple, I want no part of that.'_

Still Sango couldn't bring herself to want to help Miroku get with another girl. Ayame was too sweet and too nice to be mixed up with his sort.

S: Ayame's engaged.

E: Kouga doesn't want to be engaged.

S: I don't really think they have a choice.

E: Then what's the harm in dating someone you like for the time you have? Plus you agreed to help Kouga with Kagome which means Ayame can't be after him all the time. It's a win, win.

S: I suppose you're right.

Sango sighed. She would do the bare minimum to help, for Ayame's sake of course.

_**~Being Single~**_

(Kagura)

Kagura's eyes darkened as she watched the white muscle tee stretch across Sesshomaru's torso. _'He is shamelessly good looking.'_ She thought to herself and then cursed. She wasn't meant to be falling for him. He was just a means to a higher standard of living. Her eyes traveled down his chest over his slim hips and slid slowly down the length of his muscular legs. _'Kami, I'm glad we're all in the same gym class.'_

"Are you going to keep checking out Sesshomaru all day or are you going to come on?" Kikyou's voice snapped her out of her silent appraisal.

"Coming? Where are we going?" Kagura asked.

"Girls are going to the gymnastics room; we're stretching and toning today." Kikyou said.

"What about the guys?" Kagura's face crumbled into a pouty frown.

"They're going to the weight room." Kaguya said sadly. "I was so hoping to get a good look at Bankotsu in his gym uniform."

"You two are pathetic." Kikyou snorted, as she breezed by them pulling her hair up into a pony tail. "You shouldn't be drooling over guys who barely know you exist. It's beneath you."

"Sesshomaru knows I exist." Kagura couldn't stop herself from snapping defensively; though Kikyou didn't hear her. She was already going up the stairs to the gymnastics room.

"Do you think I should just ask Bankotsu to the party? I mean, I'm not worried about him asking me. I just don't feel like waiting around for him to remember to ask me." Kaguya rambled as she walked alongside Kagura.

"What makes you think he's going to ask you?" Kagura asked feeling slightly confused.

Kaguya had, had a crush on Bankotsu for ages but knowing Bankotsu that would just bore him. He liked a challenge.

"Well, we hooked up over the summer and I'm sure we totally connected." Kaguya explained.

"Kag, Bankotsu hooked up with a lot of girls over the summer."Kagura began.

"I know but we had a connection and he hasn't been serious about anyone since." Kaguya reasoned.

"Has he ever been serious about anyone?" Kagura sighed.

Kaguya chewed her lip for a moment frowning.

"So you think I should just wait for him to ask me then?" She finally said.

"That would be best." Kagura advised.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Miroku woke up the next morning feeling quite chipper. Yesterday he had met the girl of his dreams and had successfully infiltrated her inner circle of friends. With Ayame's help it shouldn't take long to convince Sango that InuYasha was no good for her and that he would be a suitable replacement. He hummed a tune as he went to the shower. Today would be a good day.

- -

"I can't believe this!" Kouga shouted at Ayame as he stormed into school, flanked by a nervous Ginta and Hakakku. "You ruin everything."

"It's not my intention to ruin everything. You're just being an overdramatic jerk." Ayame blazed, tears collecting in her eyes.

"Overdramatic! I'm not being overdramatic. My life was fine until you came waltzing in and started screwing things up." Kouga raged.

"Screwing things up! How am I screwing things up? This was the plan, it's always been the plan that I would come here and marry you." Ayame wailed.

"I don't want to marry you. I want to marry Kagome. I want to go to Kikyou's party with the girl of my choosing. I want you to go away. But ever since you showed up it's been all about what you want and what the elders want. I used to never take orders from the elders, now they're coming down on me every day! Stuff like this never happened before you arrived." Kouga snarled.

"I'm sorry you have to go with me. It wasn't my intention that they force us to go together."

"Oh sure it was!" Kouga yelled, coming to a sudden halt. He turned to face her. "You didn't want me to go with Kagome so you went crying to the elders about not having a date to Kikyou's party and now I can't go unless I take you."

"That's not at all what happened. Grandfather asked me why I needed a new dress so soon after getting here and I told him it was for a party I was hoping to attend with you."

"Yeah, told him to make me take you."

"I did not. I was explaining why I was buying a dress. I didn't think he'd tell the others and it's not my fault they think it's a good idea for us to go together."

"Just stay out of my life." Kouga growled before stomping away.

Ayame managed to hold back the tears until he was completely gone. When she couldn't hear him any longer, she fled to the bathroom and released the floodgates. _'He's such a jerk.'_

- -

Enju bit her lip as she contemplated whether or not she should follow Ayame into the girls' bathroom. She had gotten to school early as usual and happened to hear most of the wolf couple's argument. She had to give Ayame credit for holding it together so well while Kouga unloaded on her like that. _'She probably wanted to go with Miroku anyway.'_ Enju thought.

Checking the time, Enju saw they only had a short time left before people would start showing up and Ayame's private moment would be ended. _'I can go comfort her and hopefully she won't have to deal with the public embarrassment of Kouga's treatment.'_ Enju decided.

- -

"If you really want to make me happy, you'll finish the day without getting a detention so we can actually have time to practice." Sango grinned, as she and InuYasha walked into school together.

"I can try but no promises there are a bunch of idiots running around here." InuYasha agreed.

"So ignore them." Sango advised.

"Well where's the fun in that?" InuYasha laughed.

She gave him an annoyed look.

"You should go find Kikyou. Maybe if you two start the day off on a good note, she'll be less inclined to torment me."

"Somehow I doubt it." InuYasha chuckled. InuYasha leaned in and pressed a light kiss to her cheek causing her to blush. "See you in calc."

She mumbled a quick good bye before putting as much distance between them as she could. When she was far enough away, Sango heaved a relieved sigh. _'He's trying to get me killed.'_ Sango thought as she wandered towards her locker.

She took deep breaths and scolded herself for the rapid beating her heart and flaming cheeks. InuYasha was her best friend and had been for several years but it always caught her off guard when he showed his affection so openly. The little things such as a peck on a cheek or stroking her hair was something that happened when it was only the two of them and it made her heart flutter like some silly teenage girl. It annoyed her because she absolutely refused to have a crush on her best friend. But she was a teenage girl and sometimes he affected her just like any other girl in this school.

'_He is such a pain.'_ She grumbled internally. She was just putting in the combination to open her locker when she felt another presence beside her.

"Hey baby."

Sango squeezed her eyes shut and prayed that she was in the middle of a nightmare. She breathed an annoyed sigh when she felt strong arms wrap around her waist.

"Have you thought about my offer?"

"No Bankotsu. I gave you my answer yesterday. Remember?" Sango said turning around in his arms. She would have loved to punch him but the best method with Bankotsu was to make him think it was his own idea to go away. He wasn't the sort who simply walked away from an insult and she didn't want him and InuYasha fighting over Bankotsu's life goal to sleep with her. Placing her hands against his chest, she attempted to extract herself from his hold.

"Go on a date with me." Bankotsu said.

"No." She repeated trying hard not to be annoyed. She dealt with this every year. Surprisingly this year instead of showing up and demanding she have sex with him, he was asking her to go on a date with him. She was tempted to believe he might be getting smarter since he seemed to have finally figured out that telling her all thy reasons they should have sex wasn't helping him achieve his goal.

"Come one, I'm a nice guy. Just one date?" Bankotsu purred next to her ear.

"Nice until you get bored. Bankotsu, I'm in no way you're type and you're in no way mine. I'm not going out with you. Please stop asking." She begged.

"Please?" He whined.

"What?"

"I said please. I know surprising. You should give me a chance, I'm full of surprises." He said waggling his eyebrows at the end.

"No." She said finally breaking out of his hold.

"Why not?" He asked, catching her hips and dragging her back against him.

"Because I'm not having sex with you." She said matter of factly. "And that's the only reason you want to go on a date."

"I didn't say sex. I said a date." He said smugly.

"Everyone knows how your dates go." Sango said rolling her eyes.

"You've been checking up on me. I didn't know you were the jealous type." Bankotsu grinned.

"Bankotsu?" Sango said calmly.

"Yes?"

"Go away. I'm not at all inclined to believe you suddenly want to date me. I know what you want and that's not happening now or ever."

- -

Kagome sat in her sister's limo feeling awkward from the prolonged silence. Kikyou was up early for once and it seemed silly to take two cars when one would get them to their destination just fine. Kagome sighed. When they had been younger riding together had been fun. Kikyou would brush her hair and tell her everything she needed to know about being cool.

That was all before they started fighting over InuYasha, of course. Sitting with her sister now, Kagome knew she and Kikyou would never be that close again.

"Must you look so utterly depressing Kagome? With a little effort, you could make yourself very pretty." Kikyou said, finally raising her eyes from inspecting her nails.

"I think I look pretty enough." Kagome replied.

"But you could do so much better." Kikyou sighed.

Kagome frowned.

"So much better than what?" Kagome asked feeling there was more going on here.

"Miroku."

"Miroku? What about Miroku?" Kagome asked, confusion creasing her brow.

"There's no need to pretend little sister. I'm not planning to steal him from you." Kikyou said with a shrug.

"Because he's just yours to take?" Kagome snapped on reflex.

"Well if I wanted to…yes." Kikyou smirked.

"You're so conceited." Kagome grumbled.

"I'm not conceited. I was stating a fact. But that's beside the point."

"And what is the point, other than insulting me?" Kagome snapped.

"Why can't you date a nice rich boy? Suikotsu's available and he's older. That would elevate your status by so much. You should come to my party with him instead. I'll tell him to ask you." Kikyou advised.

"I don't like Suikotsu and I don't care about status and since when am I coming to your party?" Kagome cried, feeling frustrated with her sister's attempt to manage her life.

"InuYasha invited Miroku and I guess he wants to bring you but you could do so much better. You're my sister after all." Kikyou said with a snobbish smile.

"Thanks for your concern but I think I can choose a boyfriend for myself." Kagome said with a glare.

She was thankful the limo had been slowing to a stop. She threw open the door, accidently hitting the driving who had been coming to open the door for the two girls.

"Sorry." She squealed before bolting into the school to get away from Kikyou.

--

Miroku strolled into school whistling a cheerful tune. Finding his first class without incident he found a sulky Ayame sitting next to a rather annoyed looking Kagome.

"Ladies, what's with the sour expressions? The sun is shining and the birds are singing. Relish life with me." Miroku ordered, coming between them and wrapping an arm around each girl.

"It's hard to be cheerful when your fiancé hates your guts." Ayame sighed, leaning her head against Miroku's shoulder.

"And when your sister is trying to run your life. Why does she think we're dating, by the way?" Kagome asked turning in his embrace.

"Dating?" Miroku frowned.

"She said I'm your date to her party." Kagome said, blushing feeling like her sister set her up for embarrassment.

"Oh!" Miroku said blushing. He wanted to ask Sango but after yesterday's incident how could he not take Kagome. "I was going to ask you if you wanted to go. You're the only girl I really know here besides Ayame and I assumed Kouga was taking her."

"He wants to take Kagome." Ayame said dejectedly.

Kagome flushed with embarrassment. "I'm not going with Kouga. I never go to Kikyou's party."

"So then you don't want to go with me?" Miroku asked, hiding his hopefulness. If she refused, he could ask Sango.

"Of course, I'll go with you. In fact… do you want to go out tonight?" Kagome asked blushing furiously.

She had never asked a boy out and she didn't have a crush on Miroku but he was a nice guy. Dating him would piss off Kikyou, make Sango happy to think she was moving on from InuYasha, hopefully make InuYasha jealous, and maybe get Kouga to back off. Plus, maybe she could like him in the future.

Miroku's jaw dropped. He was gobsmacked. He hadn't been expecting that.

"Er…uh…sure." Miroku said, rubbing the back of his neck. He wasn't sure what else to say. It wasn't everyday he had a girl asking him out.

"But what about…" Ayame started.

Miroku coughed loudly and shook his head subtly at Ayame.

"What about what?" Kagome asked, leaning around Miroku to see the other girl better.

"What…about, um, Kouga? Won't he be angry?" Ayame asked, giving Miroku a quizzical look though the question was directed at Kagome.

"I don't like Kouga…I like Miroku." Kagome said with a forced grin.

"I thought you liked InuYasha?" Miroku couldn't help but ask.

"I, uh, I did but he's dating my sister and he can be a real jerk sometimes. After meeting you, I realized he's no good for me." Kagome pronounced.

"Oh…well…uh, that's great, Kagome." Ayame said as she slid away from Miroku and flipped open her cell phone.

A: What about Sango?

Miroku felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and held up a finger to Ayame telling her he was going to wait a bit to respond so that Kagome wouldn't know they were texting each other.

Biting her lip, Ayame sighed but nodded. She would just have to be patient if she wanted to know what Miroku was up to.

- -

B: Go out with me.

S: Is it really too much to ask for you to stop asking me?

B: Clearly.

S: You're really quite aggravating.

B: You know you like it.

"Argh!" Sango cried in frustration as she snapped her phone shut. She felt it vibrate again but chose to ignore it knowing it would just be Bankotsu further annoying her. She gave her seat a furious tug and then sat down in an irritated flourish.

"Are you alright?" Enju asked worried about her friend.

"Fine, annoyed, but fine." Sango growled, opening her laptop.

"Details might help me piece this story together." Enju grinned, hoping to lighten her friend's mood.

Sango almost threw her laptop in rage as a message from Bankotsu appeared on her screen.

B: Go out with me.

S: Don't you have better things to do.

B: Nope.

S: Well find something because I do have better things to do.

B: I could be planning our date right now.

S: Leave me alone.

B: Go out with me.

Sango closed the box. It opened again with a repeat of his request. She clenched her fists and counted to ten attempting to calm herself. When she was sure she could move without throwing her laptop she reached for the mouse and minimized the box. It blinked orange at her and she groaned not wanting to know what else he had to say.

"Is that Miroku?" Enju asked, having only seen part of the conversation.

"No, worse, much worse." Sango sulked.

Enju raised an eyebrow at her friend.

"Bankotsu wants me to go to Kikyou's party with him. Kikyou who hates me and Bankotsu who just wants to get laid, that sounds like a great night." Sango grumbled.

"You should take it as a compliment." Enju laughed, knowing this battle occurred every year. Bankotsu would try to get with Sango until he got distracted by some other conquest but his interest never failed to return to Sango.

"I just have no idea why he insists on going through this each year. He's probably stupid enough to think it's some sort of tradition we both enjoy." Sango complained.

"Or maybe he's actually into you." Enju offered.

"Not likely. Bankotsu doesn't date. He sleeps around and that's it." Sango said.

"True enough." Enju agreed.

"What's true?" InuYasha asked, slipping into the room.

"Bankotsu's a man whore who won't leave me alone." Sango growled.

"Want me to take care of him?" InuYasha asked.

"No, I can handle it. We do this every year. It's just annoying." Sango sighed.

"Just say the word and…" InuYasha started.

"And you'll get torn to shreds by Sesshomaru. There aren't many people in this world who he will tolerate. I doubt he's going to let you mess with the singular male he doesn't mind." Sango cut in. "its fine. I'll take care of him myself."

- -

"Dude, I seriously don't get this girl. I've been after her since middle school and she still won't go out with me." Bankotsu complained as he dropped into a seat beside Sesshomaru.

"Perhaps because you are utterly none committal." Sesshomaru stated, without looking up from his chemical measurements.

"Really?"

"She's clearly the committing type." Sesshomaru sighed, trying not to be annoyed as Bankotsu slouched in his chair sulking. "Have you ever been on a second date?"

"Hell no!" Bankotsu snorted.

"There's your problem." Sesshomaru said, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "That and with your reputation, you probably couldn't get her to come near you without a hazmat suit."

Bankotsu smirked but it faded as he thought about his friend's words.

"Damn it." Bankotsu mutter.

Sesshomura paused, noting that Bankotsu seemed genuinely upset.

"Why does it matter so much? She is neither exceptional nor wealthy. Plus she's smart. You hate intelligent women." Sesshomaru explained in a bored tone.

"I don't like being rejected." Bankotsu pouted. "She's never given me a chance."

Sesshomaru rolled his eyes and returned to their assignment.

"Fine!" Bankotsu half shouted.

Sesshomaru hadn't said anything but he didn't need to for Bankotsu to know he could see through his lies.

"I find her attractive and while dating has never been appealing to me. She could maybe change my mind." Bankotsu shrugged.

"You like her?" Sesshomaru smirked, wrinkling his nose at the idea.

"Define Like?" Bankotsu scoffed.

"You disgust me." Sesshomaru replied already knowing Bankotsu's true feelings.

"How do you think I feel? It gets worse and worse every year. It makes me sick but for some reason the more she insults me and rejects me, the more I'm attracted to her."

"You really are pathetic." Sesshomaru replied.

"You're ever so helpful." Bankotsu muttered.

--

InuYasha's eyes were glued to the clock. Calc 3 seemed to drag on forever and it was only day two of the class. Fortunately, watching Sango's frustration with Bankotsu was amusing enough to get him through the hour but now he was anxious to move around. Glancing at Sango, he saw her shaking her head at him and trying not to laugh at his anxious squirming.

"You're such a child." She laughed.

"You say that like it's a bad thing." He retorted with a proud grin.

Enju and Sango rolled their eyes and began to shut down their computers.

"ALAS!" InuYasha shouted at the bell rang.

Before either girl could say anything to him, he was out the door. He was whistling contently as he strolled up the hall looking for Kikyou. He was in no rush to find her but it was always a good idea to check in with her before she got all crazy about him going missing.

He paused feeling a wave of angry energy coming from behind him. Turning, a smile curved his lips.

"What's the matter wolfy? Get a bad grade?" InuYasha smirked, as Kouga's angry form came close.

"Shut up mutt." Kouga snapped.

"Kagome turn you down again?" InuYasha snickered.

"Psh, like you're doing any better with her." Kouga growled.

"Whatever wolf." InuYasha shrugged. "I've got a girlfriend anyway."

Kouga stomped his angry rampage and grabbed InuYasha's arm very suddenly.

"This is all your fault isn't it?" Kouga shouted.

"I'm sure it is but would you like to clarify just what the hell I'm supposedly responsible for?" InuYasha snarled, pulling his arm out of Kouga's grasp.

"Don't act like you don't know." Kouga snapped, glaring at him.

InuYasha rolled his eyes and tapped his foot impatiently.

"If you're not going to say anything of value, I've got better thing to do besides standing around talking to you." InuYasha snorted.

"I'm talking about that new kid Kagome's dating. You set them up didn't you?" Kouga cried.

"What…oh, you mean Miroku taking her to the party. Geez you're stupid. That's nothing." InuYasha said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"They're dating moron. He's taking her out after school." Kouga retorted.

"You're the moron." InuYasha snapped.

"No, you're the-" Kouga started.

"Alright, I'm going to stop you right there because now you both sound like morons." Sango cut in as she finally caught up with InuYasha.

"But-" InuYasha started to argue.

"No buts! How about you both give acting your age a try?" Sango advised, taking InuYasha's arm and dragging him towards his next class.

--

"Well it's the best way to prove to Sango that I'm not a creep and Kagome is a nice girl. We might even have something if I can get over Sango." Miroku whispered to Ayame as the waited in their English classroom.

"That's not being completely honest." Ayame frowned.

"Well I don't think she's 100% in to me either. In fact, I sorta think she's only going out with me to make InuYasha jealous." Miroku pointed out.

"It's possible but… you shouldn't toy with people like that." Ayame said.

"It's not…it's not really toying, is it? We're both kind of using each other but we could end up liking each other because of this."

"I guess but I don't like it. I mean I like that it stops Kouga from going after her but I don't want either of you to get hurt." Ayame explained.

"We won't. I promise not to intentionally hurt Kagome." Miroku said in a hurried whisper as Kagome entered the classroom.

She'd split up from them to talk to her friend Enju in the hallway.

"Hey." She greeted cheerily as she slid into a seat next to Miroku.

"Hello again." Miroku grinned, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

She blushed but leaned into his embrace. Ayame frowned, biting her lip at the scene but decided to say nothing. Instead, she set up her laptop to get ready for class.

Her head only came up when she heard Kouga's angry growl. He dropped irritably in the seat beside her, much to her surprise, but didn't say a word to her.

"Good morning Kouga." She said, trying to sound as cheery as Kagome had.

He just glared at her. She sighed and turned her attention to pulling up the reading for class.

Her head came up again as the shine of silky silver strands caught her eye. Her face lit up in a blush as InuYasha entered the room. He grinned when their eyes met and she felt her heart speed up. _'He's so cute.'_ She thought, trying to pull her eyes away.

"What's your problem?" Kouga snapped, sensing Ayame's increased heart rate.

She didn't say anything back, just ducked her head back down. He glared at her for a moment and then looked where she had been looking. His face scrunched up with disgust. _'Why do all the girls like him?'_ He thought irritably.

"You've got to be kidding me." He hissed.

"Kidding?" Ayame asked, blinking large green eyes.

"You can't have a crush on that stupid mutt." Kouga scoffed.

"I don't…he's just been nice to me…a lot nice than you." She sniffed.

"Then he's just trying to get up your skirt." Kouga snapped.

Ayame turned suddenly to face him angrily.

"You know what Kouga? You're a jerk! A gianormous jerk. Just because you don't like me doesn't mean there aren't people who enjoy my company. Maybe if you'd spend a little time getting to know me we could really like each other but you're too caught up on a girl who doesn't care about you." Ayame said angrily. Standing up, she gathered her things and stomped to a new seat.

InuYasha raised an eye brown and then smirked at Kouga before sliding into the open seat beside Ayame. He winked at Kogua as he draped his arm across the back of Ayame's chair.

"How are you today?" He asked casually.

"Much better now." She smiled, setting up her laptop again.

"Do you know what's up with the cuddle-buddies down there?" InuYasha asked gesturing towards Kagome and Miroku.

"Yeah, Kagome asked Miroku out this morning." Ayame reported.

"She what?" InuYasha gasped.

"She asked him out. She told him she likes him and then asked him out." Ayame shrugged.

"But she just met him!" InuYasha exclaimed.

"I guess they really connected, unlike me and Kouga." Ayame muttered.

"I can pound his face in if it makes you feel any better." InuYasha offered, temporarily forgetting Kagome and Miroku.

"I think a part of me would enjoy that today but that won't help in the long run so no thank you. It was a sweet offer though." Ayame said blushing.

"Well, ya'know, if you change your mind, I'm always willing." InuYasha grinned.

--

Sango was about to leave the locker room when she heard the metallic sound of her cell phone buzzing in her locker. _'He can't really still be texting me. We're in this class together.'_ Sango thought irritably as she yanked open her locker and pulled out her phone.

I: You didn't tell me Kagome had a thing for Miroku.

Sango frowned at the message.

S: To my knowledge she doesn't. We haven't really talked about him. Why do you ask?

I: They're dating.

Sango froze. She took a slow breath while trying to control the feel of betrayal that was creeping up. Miroku had played her, with his fake crush on her. She felt ashamed at having for even a second thinking he had been genuine. _'Of course he wasn't, he's been hitting on Ayame too.'_

S: Since when are they dating?

I: Apparently, Kagome asked him out this morning.

S: Okay, well I have class. We'll talk about it later.

Sango bit back hurt tears as she thrust her phone into her locker and slowly left the locker room. _'He's a jerk and a pervert and I shouldn't care except for Kagome's sake. I have to tell her what a creep he is. What's with her horrible taste in guys?'_

Sango was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't see Bankotsu coming towards her. As a result, she ran smack into him.

"Hello lovely." Bankotsu smirked, catching her in his arms.

"Go away Bankotsu. I'm not in the mood to deal with you right now." She sighed.

"What's wrong pet?" He asked, keeping one arm wrapped around her shoulders.

"Nothing I want to discuss with you and never, NEVER, call me pet." She growled, twisting out of his hold.

"I was being affectionate." He said with an angelic smile.

She kept walking and ignoring him.

"So listen." Bankotsu called after her as he sped up to walk beside her. "I was thinking, we should go for Thai food later today, just a you and me, date kind of thing."

"I'm not going on a date with you." She said grinding her teeth.

"So does eight work for you? I know you probably want to get back early to study or something." Bankotsu went on as if she hadn't spoken.

"Why won't you give up?" She asked.

"I mean I guess we could do 7:30pm but…"

Sango gave an irritated sigh and put as much distance as she could between herself and Bankotsu.

--

Sesshomaru was watching the demon slayer curiously. She was emitting distress and despite himself, he was intrigued. He knew there wasn't much that rattled the young woman.

"Bankotsu, what have you done to the taijiya? She is quite upset." Sesshomaru inquired as he sparred with his friend.

"I haven't done anything. I've just been trying to get her to go out with me." Bankotsu complained.

"Hmm." Sesshomaru intoned.

"What do you think is wrong with her?" Bankotsu asked stopping and turning to stare at her.

"I neither know nor care." Sesshomar stated, deciding not to share his concern with Bankotsu.

It was not in his nature to care about other people's problems but it was strange to know the slayer was upset. He was used to her calm, positive energy. She was one of the few people who seemed to somewhat understand him. She was also one of the few people he didn't feel the immediate need to kill. As InuYasha's best friend and Rin's hero, she had become a fixture in his life and he didn't like his things to be messed with. _'I'll make InuYasha sort it out.'_ He decided before pushing the thoughts from his head completely.

--

Miroku tapped his pen impatiently as he watched the clock waiting for Sango to arrive. He needed to tell her about Kagome in the best way so that he wouldn't complete destroy his future chances with her. He needed her to observe what a good boyfriend he could be and when Kagome got around to dumping him for InuYasha or someone else then he'd be free for Sango.

His breath caught in his throat as she finally entered the room. He was just thinking about how beautiful she was when the intensity of her glare hit him.

"Sango?" He asked frowning in confusion. What had he done today?

"Please don't talk to me, Miroku. I'm done with your crap." She said curtly.

She sat down rigidly and kept her back half turned towards him.

"What are you talking about? What's wrong?" Miroku asked, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Don't touch me." She said slowly, turning her icy glare on him once again.

He withdrew his hand slowly.

"Do you really think I'm that stupid? That I wouldn't find out?" She snapped. "You're such an ass."

"I honestly don't know what you're talking about." Miroku said shaking his head.

"Just cut the crap. I know about you and Kagome and you and Ayame. For all I know you could be playing a ton of other girls. You're such a jerk and if you hurt my friend I'll kill you." She hissed.

"Oh." He breathed slowly, realizing she'd already found about. "News travels fast around here."

She just continued to glare at him. He rubbed the back of his neck trying to think of something to say. Then he paused.

"You're really upset right now." He said without thinking.

"What? Well…yes…of course. You're playing my friend." Sango stuttered.

"No, no, I don't think that's why you're mad." Miroku said trying to hold back a grin.

"And what you think matters, why?" Sango scoffed.

"Do you like me?" Miroku asked unable to hold back the hopeful upturn of his lips.

"Ew, no, of course not." Sango cried in a rush. "You're so conceited."

"No, I'm not. You're just really upset for it to be just concern for your friend you know." He said with a shrug.

"Well for your information I'm not jealous. I couldn't care less what you do. I care about Kagome." She said snippily.

"Sango, you can tell me the truth." Miroku said kindly.

"You're delusional. I don't like you. I'm seeing someone else, remember." Sango snapped. She bit the inside of her cheek before she could retract the lie. She didn't know why she said it but she knew she didn't want him to think he was winning or that he had hurt her. She had to show him that she didn't care.

"InuYasha? Well news flash, he's cheating on you." Miroku said sourly.

"No, not InuYasha. That's…" She paused knowing she had to tread carefully since now her earlier story was getting screwed up. She wished she could have just said yes but she didn't want to give Miroku the satisfaction of thinking she was the poor other woman who couldn't get a real boyfriend. "That's over now. I'm with someone else now."

"Who?" Miroku asked, fear and surprise flashing across his face.

"I'm…uh… I'm with Bankotsu now." She said, clenching her hands into such tight fists that her nails broke the skin of her palms.

"Bankotsu?" Miroku echoed.

"Yes, not that it's any of your business." She said, turning her face away from him.

Miroku frowned trying to remember all the people he had met. He vaguely remembered the name Bankotsu but he couldn't put a face to the name.

"How long have you two been together?" He asked.

"Like I said, it's none of your business. Now leave me alone." She said coldly.

Miroku's shoulders drooped and he suddenly felt cold inside. _'What have I done?'_

--

S: So this Thai place…how dressed up do I need to be?

Bankotsu felt a grin spread across his face at the text message that he had just received.

"HELL YEAH!" He shouted, jumping up out of his seat and punching the air.

"What's wrong with you?" Kagura hissed, grabbing the back of his shirt and yanking him back down into his seat as their teacher glared at him.

"I've got a date tonight." He smirked.

Kaguya's jaw tensed as she leaned closer to listen to the conversation.

"When don't you have a date?" Kikyou snorted.

"I meant one that counts." Bankotsu scoffed.

"You do dates that count?" Kagura laughed.

"Occasionally." Bankotsu smirked.

B: It's real classy, just like you. Eight good with you?

He had to wait for a moment. He figured she was probably rolling her eyes at the line but he was happy just the same.

S: Eight is fine.

B: I'll see you think, babe.

S: Don't call me babe!

B: Doll?

S: No

B: Sweetheart

S: I will cut your throat.

He glared at his phone for a minute. This girl was hell bent on killing his style. He shrugged; it didn't matter as long as she didn't cancel.

S: And I will break every bone in your body if you touch me inappropriately.

B: No promises but I can try to keep my hands to myself.

S: I get the feeling you're not going to be alive tomorrow.

B: No worries, I like it rough.

He waited for a response and then laughed out loud picturing the indignant face she probably made me before snapping her phone shut. He grinned to himself settling back in his chair. He'd finally managed to secure a date with Sango.

--

"What's with you getting all cuddly with Ayame?" Kouga snarled, as he punched at InuYasha.

"What's with you caring?" InuYasha smirked, as he dodged the attacks.

"You stay away from her." Kouga growled, kicking at InuYasha's head.

"Or you'll what?" InuYasha laughed, ducking out of the way. "Someone's got to be nice to her. You're clearly not taking care of her."

"Just stay out of it mutt." Kouga shouted, pushing InuYasha back.

"Make me." InuYasha shouted back.

"It's going to be like this every day, isn't it?" Suikotsu asked.

"Probably." Jakotsu shrugged.

"I hate this class." Enju muttered, massaging her temples.

--

Miroku tried to contain his laughter as he listened to the phone conversation going on behind him. The teacher was becoming increasingly irritated as he tried to ignore the conversation but it wasn't working. Whoever it was, was not trying at all to be quiet.

"Well despite your lack of belief and complete lack of support I have landed a date with her . . . We're getting Thai tonight . . . Well of course I'm taking her to Kikyou's party . . . Why wouldn't she want to go? . . . You just don't know anything about girls, she'll go . . . Well of course I'm gonna hit that . . . I'm not stupid. I've got a plan to gain her trust and all that . . . Sesshomaru, you have no faith in me. I can totally do this boyfriend thing . . ."

'_Geez, must be some sort of badass if InuYasha's brother is cool with him.'_ Miroku thought to himself.

"BANKOTSU!!!" The health teacher shouted.

Miroku froze. _'Bankotsu…he must be talking about Sango.'_ He whipped around to find the boy with the cell phone. His jaw dropped seeing the kid from the day before. _'Sango's into him? What is it with her taste in men?'_ He thought taking in the edgy ripped up uniform Bankotsu chose to wear with combat boots and the silver chain hanging from his front pocket to feet were propped up on the desk in front of him and he looked rather irritated to be interrupted. Miroku sank down in his seat watching the movement of this kid's bulging biceps as he pulled the phone away from his ear briefly.

"What? Can't you see I'm on the phone." Bankotsu retorted pointing to his cell phone.

"We're in the middle of class." The teacher cried exasperated.

"I didn't say you had to stop teaching." Bankotsu shrugged. "Way to be rude."

The teacher stood there, mouth opening and closing as Bankotsu resumed his conversation as if he'd never been interrupted.


End file.
